The Wedding
by MilitaryWife
Summary: Emma's 25 & Jay is 27 and are planning on getting married in about a week. What happens when things that are supposed to be left in the past present themselves in the present. JEMMA/SEMMA
1. Chapter 1

**First things first: Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or any of it's characters. I am just a huge fan of the show.**

** Authors notes: Welcome readers to my fifth story. "The Wedding." I came up with the idea for this story a few days ago and was so excited about starting it that I couldn't wait until my other story "One day at a time" was finished. I am still currently working on the story "One day at a time" and you should expect a new chapter up in a couple of days. **

** What you need to know before reading this story: This is a future fic and takes place when Emma is 25 and Jay is 27. Spinner is Jay's best friend and owns "The Dot." Everything that happened during the show pretty much happened except for Sean returning from Wasaga. When Sean left after the shooting he stayed and made a life for himself in Wasaga. All of the other questions you may have should be answered for you in the chapters. Oh, and for my American readers GED is your high school equivalency. I'm not sure if it's called the same in the US or not. Enjoy!  
**

"Are you sure you're okay? You seem spaced out today." Jay asked as he sat with Emma at the Dot eating lunch. Emma was staring out the front window and had been for the past couple of minutes.

"Sorry." She said as she snapped out of her trance and turned back to face Jay. "I'm just going over last minute details in my head. I want to make sure everything is perfect."

Jay stretched out his hand and placed it on top of hers. "It doesn't have to be perfect. As long as we are both there and when the minister asks 'Will you Emma Christine Nelson take Jason Hogart to be your lawfully wedded husband?' you say yes then that's all that's important. The other details are just minor."

Emma smiled at her fiancée. He always had a way of calming her down when she started to get stressed out about things. That's one of the many things she loved about him. She felt safe around him. She could let her guard down around him and she didn't feel the need to be perfect 24/7 when she was him. She could just be herself.

Emma felt her cell phone vibrate in her pocket. She pulled it out and flipped it open to see that she had one new text message. It was from Manny and read "Meet me at my hotel in 30 minutes. Room 412."

Jay sipped his coffee and took the last bite of his sandwich as he watched Emma reading her message. He couldn't believe that in a little over a week they'd be married. Once upon a time Jay didn't know if he'd ever be the one woman kind of man but when he had literally ran into Emma Nelson almost 4 years earlier everything in his life had changed for the better. He lived and breathed Emma Nelson. She inspired him to be a better person and to make something out of his life. He had felt honoured that she had even agreed to go out with him on that first date especially with their history from high school.

"_Sorry." Emma said as she bumped into someone. She was carrying an arm load of books and hadn't been watching where she was going. She looked up to make sure the person she bumped into was okay. Who she saw in front of her made her mouth drop open. "Jay?" she asked barely audible._

"_Emma." Jay said softly smirking. "What's it been? Years."_

"_Yeah it's been years. Are you lost or something? Cause the last time I checked the Jay Hogart I used to know wouldn't be caught dead in a library on a Friday night." Emma surmised._

"_Ouch. That hurt." Jay said as he jokingly took a step back from her. "I know the library isn't my scene normally but I came to study. I'm writing my GED in the morning and I'd like to get a good mark."_

"_You're writing your GED? Well that's responsible of you." Emma commented. _

"_I've changed Emma. I'm not the same guy I was back in high school." Jay replied. _

_Emma looked at Jay sceptically questioning if what he was saying was true. Jay noticed Emma's sceptism and decided to challenge it. _

"_I'm finished here. Come to the Dot with me and get a coffee. Decide for yourself if I'm a changed man."_

_Emma wondered if she was crazy enough to believe that Jay could actually change. But there he was at the library on a Friday night studying. She decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and take him up on his offer. After all, what did she have to lose?_

"Earth to Jay!" Emma said flailing her arms in front of his face. "Who's the spaced out one now?"

"Sorry Em. I was just thinking back to our first date. Who would of ever thought that the environmentalist prude would ever end up marrying Degrassi's biggest thief?"

"Jay! I am not a prude!" Emma exclaimed.

"Not anymore." Jay said. "Especially not after what we did last night."

"Jay!" Emma said blushing recalling the events from the night before. They had gotten carried away in the heat of the moment and had enrolled themselves in an extra spicy encounter. "Anyways." Emma started trying to change the subject. "I have to go meet up with Manny now. Thanks for lunch."

"That's cool. Spin should be here any minute to meet up with me then we're heading back to his place for the night."

"You guys aren't doing anything to wild and crazy tonight are ya? Don't forget we have that pre-wedding friends and family lunch-in at the hotel tomorrow at 1:00pm and you arriving not hungover would be nice." Emma stated. She knew what normally happened when Spinner and Jay hung out. What would start out as 1 beer would end 12 beer later and a drunken phone call from Jay to Emma expressing his undying love for her. She didn't mind the drunken phone call but would prefer an alert groom to be for the lunch in. A lot of their friends and family were planning to attend and it would be the first time some of them had met Jay. She just wanted him to be able to give them the best first impression possible.

"Don't worry Em. It's only a few guys sitting around the house drinking a few beers watching some television. Go enjoy your Manny time and don't worry a bit about me. I'll see you tomorrow afternoon at the hotel."

Emma gathered her cell phone and purse and got out of her seat. She stopped in front of Jay and leaned down and gave him a soft kiss on the lips. "I love you Mr. Hogart." she whispered in his ear.

"I love you too future Mrs. Hogart." Jay replied.


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors notes: First off, thanks to TammyWammy & mmkayerin for letting me know that GED means the same thing in the US as it does in Canada. I didn't know that and now I do:) And as you know, it wouldn't be a fan fiction without some drama so I'd like to assure everyone that there will be lots headed this happy couples way. I was so happy to get so many great reviews for the first chapter. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. It meant a lot!**

Spinner turned the key to unlock the front door to his house and let him and Jay inside. Jay immediately plopped down on the couch discarding his jacket and his signature black hat. Most people would have thought he would've grown out of the hat by now but he couldn't seem to part with it. Every time his hat would get warn out he would just buy a new one to replace it.

"So what's the plan for tonight?" Jay asked as he cracked open the beer Spinner had just given him.

Spinner sat down on the chair across from Jay and put his feet up on the coffee table. He took his first sip of beer before replying. "I invited some of the guys over. I thought we'd watch the fight on TV and make some definite plans for tomorrow night for your bachelor party. Oh and I have a surprise for you."

"A surprise?" Jay asked warily. "I hope it's not like the last big 'surprise' you had when you ordered that stripper last year for Jimmy's bachelor party and it ended up being a guy instead of a girl."

"Hey!" Spinner exclaimed. "How was I supposed to know that the name Michael in French is pronounced Michelle?"

Jay shook his head at Spinner. Spinner hadn't changed a bit. He was still the same happy go lucky dumb ass that he always had been.

An hour later the guys had started to show up. First through the door was Jimmy who was then followed by Toby. A couple of guys from the shop where Jay worked as a mechanic showed up as well. Jay headed to the kitchen to grab another beer and Spinner followed behind him.

"Can you pass me a beer man?" Spinner asked as Jay rummaged through the fridge.

Jay passed Spinner his beer. "I want you to know I appreciate this little pre bachelor party get together that you're having for me tonight but….." Jay was wondering how he could word the next part of his sentence without being too blunt. Then he realized he was talking to Spinner and being blunt was the only way he would be able to get his point across. "…but man what were you thinking inviting Jimmy and Toby? Mr. Preppy and Captain of the geek squad and I weren't exactly chums in high school."

"Jimmy's one of my best friend's Jay." Spinner said sticking up for his friend. "If I'm having a party then he's always invited. And as far as Toby goes he's still really good friends with Emma. Remember her? You're fiancée. It wouldn't kill you to get to know him a bit. He's actually a pretty cool guy."

Jay sighed before turning around and grabbing another beer from the fridge for Toby. It was never too early to start gaining brownie points he thought to himself. If Toby and Emma were good friends then the least he could do is make an effort to get to know the guy.

Jay returned to the living room and sat down beside Toby. He handed him the beer and started a conversation. After a few minutes of talking to Toby he realized they had more in common then he had thought.

The doorbell rang which caused the conversation in the room to stop temporarily. "Jay. Can you answer the door?" Spinner yelled from the kitchen.

Jay placed his black hat on his head, grabbed his beer and headed towards the front door. "Is this my surprise?" Jay said to Spinner who had re-entered the room and was leaning against the wall.

Spinner looked down at his watch. It was 9:00pm exactly which is the time he had asked his mystery guest to arrive. "Yep. Your surprise awaits on the other side of that door. What are you waiting for? Open it up!"

"It better not be a male stripper Spinner or you're dead." Jay said aloud which was followed by a few chuckles from the guys in the background.

Jay opened the door and as he looked at the person standing on the other side for the first time in 10 years he froze. His beer slipped from his hand and shattered as it hit the hardwood floor. There standing in front of him was none other than Sean Cameron.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi or anything.**

"Sean? I can't believe it's really you! Come in man and we'll get you a beer." Jay said still stunned that Sean Cameron was at his pre bachelor party gathering. Jay and Sean both stepped over the broken glass and headed towards the kitchen. Sean nodded at both Jimmy and Toby and then continued to follow Jay to the fridge.

Jay grabbed two beer from the fridge and handed one to Sean. "You got a good grip on that one Hogart or am I going to have to see if Spinner has any plastic cups around here?" Sean joked.

"I'm cool Cameron. I guess I just didn't expect to see you here. After all, it's been 10 years since the last time we talked."

"Yeah it has been. It's actually been 10 years since I've been back to Toronto. When Spinner called me up last week and told me that Jay Hogart was getting married I had to come see it for myself." Sean commented.

Jay glanced at Sean again. He was still mystified that Sean was standing in front of them. Of all the people from his past that could've shown up, Sean was the least expected. They had been great friends in high school but after the shooting incident everything had changed. Plus Jay didn't figure that Sean would be too keen on him and Emma getting married. Granted they hadn't been a couple for 11 years but still something about your first love marrying your best friend would have to get to a guy.

"Listen Sean." Jay started. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry about the shooting and stuff. I'm sorry I didn't keep in touch with you. I'm thankful that you're here but I understand if the whole situation makes you uncomfortable."

"No need to apologize man. What happened in the past is just water under the bridge now. Life is pretty great in Wasaga actually so I can't say I'm completely disappointed with the way life turned out." Sean commented.

"Does this pretty great life in Wasaga involve a hot chick?" Jay said smiling. He might be getting married but he still appreciated the sight of a woman. That part of him would never change.

Sean chuckled and pulled a picture out of his wallet. "I think she's pretty cute. Her name is Christine." Sean handed Jay the picture.

Jay looked at the picture. "Isn't she a little young for you?" he asked mentally noting that the blonde girl in the picture looked about 4 years old.

"She's my daughter and one of the best things that have ever happened to me. My life revolves around her now. Everything changes when you have kids. You'll find that out soon enough." Sean explained.

"Hopefully not too soon." Jay commented. "I'd like to stay in the honeymoon stage for as long as possible and enjoy all of it's benefits if you know what I mean."

Sean shook his head. _Same old Jay thinking about sex every two minutes. _Sean's thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone. He looked at the caller id and noted that the number flashing across the screen belonged to Christine's baby-sitter for the night. "Excuse me for a second Jay but I got to take this."

Jay gave Sean some privacy and headed back to the living room to join the other guys. A couple of minutes later Sean returned to the living room. "Sorry guys but I got to take off." Sean announced to the room. "My daughter's baby-sitter just called and said that my daughter isn't feeling well so I need to go pick her up."

Jay walked with Sean to the door and watched as he got his jacket on.

"How long are you in town for?" Jay asked.

"I'm not sure yet. Maybe a couple of more days." Sean replied.

"Well if your daughter is feeling better tomorrow why don't you guys stop by our friends and family pre-wedding lunch in thing that we have going on. It's tomorrow at 1pm at the Hilton Hotel downtown. There will probably be some other kids there too so it'd give Christine someone to play with and a chance for us to do some more catching up." Jay suggested.

Sean thought about it for a moment and then answered. "That sounds like a plan. We're actually staying at the Hilton Hotel while we're in town so we'll be right there anyway. I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." Sean opened the front door and headed down the driveway towards his car.

Spinner had overheard the conversation between Jay and Sean concerning the invitation to the lunch in for the next day. Spinner looked at Jay and mouthed two words "Kitchen Now" to him. Spinner didn't want to cause a scene in front of the other guys.

Jay met Spinner in the kitchen unsure of why Spinner was trying to be secretive.

"Do you really think it was a good idea inviting Sean to come tomorrow?" Spinner asked.

"It's just him and his daughter. I'm sure adding two more people to the already huge guest list isn't going to be that big of a deal." Jay informed Spinner.

"I'm not talking about the guest list Jay. Don't you think Sean's going to be a little bit upset when he shows up tomorrow and he sees you and Emma together?"

"Sean's cool Spin. He even told me tonight that whatever happened in the past was water under the bridge." Jay said. "When you called him last week to tell him I was getting married you did tell him that Emma was the girl I was marrying, didn't you?"

"Umm…not exactly. I kinda left out the who part. I thought it'd be better if he heard it from you." Spinner confessed.

"Spin!" Jay yelled out in a frustrated tone. "What am I supposed to do now?"

"Well look on the bright side. It's been 10 years since he's seen her last right? Maybe he won't recognize her." Spinner said thinking wishfully.

Jay sighed. "She's still thin, blonde and hot. Trust me, he's going to recognize her the minute he lays eyes on her." Jay pulled out his cell phone and scrolled through his phone book and found Emma's name. He pressed send when he found it. As he listened to the sound of the phone ringing he prayed that she would pick up. He needed to get a hold of her and warn her Sean was in town before she ran in to him first.

**So what did you guys think? Let me know. R&R**


	4. Chapter 4

**Authors notes: Because I love you guys so much, I came home from work on my half hour break to post this. I was supposed to be off of work right now but got asked to stay late to prep for inventory tomorrow. For anyone that has ever been involved in getting ready for inventory or doing inventory itself (especially in a retail setting)...it is a nightmare!!! Anyways, the last two chapters were about the boys so I thought we'd check back in on how the girls in this story were doing. Jemma lovers should enjoy this chapter!**

"I can't believe it's been a year since I've seen my best friend." Manny exclaimed as her and Emma sat at the hotel bar sipping martinis. Manny had started her career as an actress a few years earlier and was starting to become very successful. The last year had been jam packed with filming commercials, music videos and movies. She had managed to keep in touch with Emma via email and phone but this is the first time she had been back to Toronto to see her in person in a long time.

"It may have been a year since you've seen me but I've seen you plenty. I mean magazine covers, commercials and of course on Entertainment Tonight. I can find out what's going on in your life just by turning on the TV." Emma commented. She was truly happy for her best friend. "I'm really happy you were able to make it for the wedding. It wouldn't have been the same without you."

"I wouldn't miss this for the world Em. We've been best friends since kindergarten so you're wedding is more important than anything else going on in my life right now." Manny explained. "Even if you're marrying Jay."

"Manny!" Emma said.

"I know, I know. I promised I wouldn't give you a hard time about him. It's just that I really didn't see the two of you ever hooking up again. Well not in the 'I'll love you forever' kind of way." Manny commented.

"He's changed Manny. He really has. He's not the same Jay he was in high school." Emma argued. Well part of him was the same Jay he had been in high school. He still wore the same black hat and still had the infamous smirk. The stealing and sleeping with random girls part had changed though.

"So you keep on reminding me. Tell me again how he proposed." Manny asked.

Emma's eyes misted over as she recalled that special day where her and Jay decided that they would be together forever.

_It was 8:00am and Emma was in the shower scrubbing her body vigorously with her puff. She was half an hour behind schedule. 'STUPID ALARM CLOCK' she thought to herself as she rinsed off her body. She was due to be at work at 9:00pm. She hated being late and for the second time that week her alarm clock hadn't gone off._

_She dressed for work, styled her hair and did her make up in record time. She figured if she was able to leave the house in the next thirty seconds she may actually be able to make it to work on time._

"_Emma? Are you done in the bathroom?" Jay hollered to her from the kitchen. Jay and Emma had moved in together two months earlier. They had been dating for three years and thought it was about time. They were still getting used to the whole concept of co-habitating together. When you lived alone you only had to worry about yourself but when you lived with someone else you had to consider their schedule as well before making plans of your own._

"_I'm almost done!" Emma hollered back as she smoothed down her hair one last time and adjusted her skirt._

"_Could you grab my black hat for me from the bedroom. I think I left it on the bed."_

"_Why don't' you get it yourself?" Emma asked. She might be his girlfriend but she was definitely not his mother._

"_Because I already tied my boots up. I know how you get if I walk through the house with them on." Jay argued._

"_I don't see why you even need to wear that hat anyway. I'm sure one day without it wouldn't kill you." Emma said frustrated. The thirty seconds had already passed and now she was going to be late for sure. _

"_Please Emma?" Jay begged from the kitchen._

_Emma couldn't argue when Jay begged her to do something. It was one of her weaknesses. "Fine." she grunted and exited the bathroom heading towards the bedroom they shared._

_Jay watched from the kitchen as Emma exited the bathroom and headed for their bedroom. Quietly he snuck up behind her and stood in their bedroom doorway as she headed for the bed._

_She snatched the hat off the comforter still in a fowl mood. What she found underneath the hat took her breath away. There in a small velvet box was a beautiful solitary diamond ring. She stared at the ring intensely not being able to take her eyes off of it._

_As if time seemed to stand still, Jay made his way across the room and to the bed. He turned Emma around so she was facing him, picked up the velvet box and got down on one knee._

"_Emma, I love you a lot." Jay started. "The last three years have been absolutely wonderful. I didn't think it would be possible for one person to make me so happy. But you do. You complete me Emma. You make me a better person. And I want this feeling I feel when I'm around you not to only last today or tomorrow but for the rest of our lives. So will you marry me Emma?"_

_Emma stared at Jay who was still down on one knee patiently awaiting her answer. She knew the feeling he was talking about. After what seemed like hours but in reality was only a couple of seconds she gave him her answer. "I'd love to." she whispered._

"_Woohooo!" Jay screamed as he got up off his knee and picked her up twirling her around the room. He put her down and quickly pulled her in for a kiss._

_He took the ring out of the box and slipped it on her finger. She lifted her hand to admire the gigantic diamond in the light. "It really is beautiful Jay."_

"_Thanks. It is a real diamond, in case you were wondering. And I didn't even have to steal it." Jay joked. _

_Emma slapped his arm playfully before pulling him in for another kiss. He put his arms around her and held her tightly as he kissed her back passionately._

_After a few minutes reality set in and Emma pulled quickly out of the kiss. "I got to get going. I'm already late for work."_

"_You're not going anywhere." Jay announced._

"_But I got to get to work or I'll be…" Emma started._

"_You're taking a vacation day today. I already called your boss and he okayed it. And I took one myself." Jay stated._

"_Well what are we going to do all day?" Emma asked._

"_I have an idea or two." Jay said looking at Emma seductively._

"_Jay! Do you think you're going to get lucky just because you gave me a ring?" Emma teased._

"_I was counting on it." Jay answered back. He pushed her on the bed and gently climbed on top of her._

"….and that's how he proposed." Emma finished as she took the last sip of her martini.

"Well who knew Jay had a romantic bone in that body of his." Manny said staring at her best friend who was still staring off in to space dreamingly.

"He has a lot of great qualities hidden underneath that rough exterior." Emma admitted.

Manny could not recall a time where her best friend seemed happier. "You really love him, don't you?" Manny asked.

"I really do Manny. I love him so much." Emma said.

"Then I couldn't be happier for you." Manny pulled Emma into a hug. The girls ordered another drink and changed their conversation to planning the bachelorette party for the following night.


	5. Chapter 5

"Daddy, what is a wedding?" Christine asked. She sat on the edge of the hotel room bed watching her dad get ready for the lunch-in. Sean had decided to dress up a bit and was wearing khaki pants and a nice shirt. He opted not to wear a tie as he had a feeling that the event would be a bit dressy but still casual.

Christine was getting to the age that she was asking about everything. She would ask questions like why the sky was blue or how were fish able to breath under water if people couldn't. Some questions were harder to answer than some but this particular question seemed like it should be straight forward.

"A wedding takes place when a man and woman love each other and decide they want to spend the rest of their lives together. They stand up in front of their friends and family and tell everyone how much they love each other." Sean explained as he ran a comb through his curly hair. He had let his hair grow out after he had graduated from high school and usually kept it shoulder length.

"Are you going to have a wedding daddy?" Christine asked innocently. "You love mommy, right?"

Sean sighed and turned around so he was facing his little girl. He got down to her level and stared into her innocent eyes. It was hard to explain how the world worked to a four year old. It was extra hard to explain the world to a four year old who had been without a mother from almost the day she was born. "Remember what daddy said before Chrissy? I do love your mommy and all we can do is pray and wish that someday she will come back to us. But until then we need to be happy and go on living our lives anyway. Ok sweetheart?"

"Ok daddy." Christine said and jumped off the bed. She wrapped her small arms around him and hugged him tightly. "I love you daddy." she whispered.

Those four words were the best four words that Christine could ever say to him. It didn't matter what had happened that day or how much he missed her mother, those four words would make him temporarily forget all of the bad stuff that had happened in his life.

"We should get going. We don't want to be late for the party." Sean said as he grabbed Christine's shoes and helped her put them on.

"Do we get to go on the elevator to get to the party?" Christine asked excitedly.

"Yes we do." Sean answered.

"This time I'm going to push the button!" Christine announced. Sean smiled at his daughter and grabbed her hand. He led her out of the hotel room and to the elevator.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Ready to go downstairs Em?" Manny asked as she applied her last coat of lipstick. She pursed her lips together making sure she had evenly applied the lipstick. _Looks perfect!_

"Yeah, I'm ready." Emma answered searching through her suitcase.

"Looking for something?" Manny asked.

"Just my cell phone. I had expected Jay to call last night but I didn't hear my cell phone ring. I guess I must've left it in the car or something."

"Did you want to go get it before we head to the party?" Manny asked.

"No. We should be fine. I'm sure Jay's already there anyway. Let's get going."

Emma and Manny made their way to the elevator and headed to the party.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The party was well underway when Manny and Emma entered the room. Many of their friend's and family had already arrived. Emma spotted her parents and Jack standing in the corner talking to some of the guests. Even Jay's parents had made an effort and showed up. She looked around and finally spotted Jay who was waving wildly to get her attention.

"I'll be right back Manny. My fiancee looks like he wants to talk to me." Emma said pointing out Jay to Manny. Manny waved hello to Jay from across the room.

"Hey hunny." Emma said as she greeted Jay with a kiss on the cheek.

"Where were you last night Em? I tried calling a couple of times but you didn't pick up." Jay asked concerned.

"I was just out having a few drinks with Manny. I think I must've left my cell phone in the car last night because I couldn't find it when I went to look for it this morning." Emma replied.

More guests filtered in and Emma pasted a smile on her face looking around at the ever growing crowd. "Listen Em. I know this probably isn't the best time but I got to talk to you about something important." Jay said.

"Can we talk later Jay? I need to go mingle with the guests and you should too." Emma spotted her grandmother and dragged Jay over to introduce them. "Nanny this is Jay. Jay this is my Nanny."

"Oh I'm so happy I get to finally meet you Jason. Emma has told me so much about you. When Emma was little she used to do the cutest things. Like the time when she was six and…." Grandmother Nelson started.

Emma leaned in and whispered in her fiancee's ear. "She's quite the talker. I got to go check on Manny. I'll be back to rescue you in a few minutes."

Emma headed over to Manny who was chatting with one of Jay's cousins. Emma arrived at the same time Jay's cousin was walking away.

"Jay's cousin is hot!" Manny beamed.

"Yeah, he's pretty cute but be careful. He has the same Hogart charm that Jay had in high school." Emma teased. The girls shared a laugh together.

Emma looked at her watch and it read 1:30pm. She figured most of the guests should have arrived right now and was about to head to the stage to make the opening announcements when something inside her made her look at the entrance one last time.

There standing awkwardly in the entrance of the hotel conference room was Sean Cameron and the daughter that no one except him knew she had.

**Authors notes: So there you have it folks. Sean's daughter's mother has been revealed. Congrats to Tammywammy who had this figured out from the subtle hints I dropped in Chapter 3:) Now there are so many questions to be answered...how Emma and Sean got together and why she left her daughter. There will also be major drama coming up:) **


	6. Chapter 6

**Authors notes: A million thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed this story thus far...Reviews make my day and I LOVE reading them:) I do have one favour to ask my readers though...i ask that you "trust" me. I ask that you "trust" that this story will turn out in the end. You may not always like what happens with the characters but at the end I hope you will be satisfied. **

There standing awkwardly in the entrance of the hotel conference room was Sean Cameron and the daughter that no one except him knew she had. She couldn't believe her eyes and had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. _Owww!_ She felt the pinch which confirmed to her that her eyes were telling the truth.

She moved her eyes from Sean down to the little girl. The little girl held on to her dad's leg tightly timid of the surroundings. Emma noticed the tight blonde curls pulled up in to a pony tail on the top of her head. Emma had spent the last four years trying to forget about the daughter she had abandoned. And now after staring at her just for a couple of seconds she immediately regretted that decision.

She moved her glance up to Sean one more time wondering why he had shown up to the lunch in that day. Out of all the times he could've shown up over the last four years why would he chose an event that celebrated her future wedding with his best friend from high school. As if fate was intervening, he felt her glare and looked across the room where his eyes met hers. He looked visibly shocked when he saw her standing there with Manny.

"Em? What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost." Manny surmised as she noticed her friend's rosy glow had changed to a much paler tone.

"I think I just did." Emma whispered as she nodded towards Sean. Manny looked across the room and spotted their old high school friend standing beside a small child.

Sean noticed the two girls staring at him and decided to walk towards them. Even though he hadn't expected to see her, he realized that if they were going to both be there for the next few hours he might as well go over and talk to her. There was no point in avoiding each other the whole afternoon.

Emma watched as Sean made his way towards them. She had about thirty seconds to disappear. She felt her pocket to make sure she still had a copy of the key card to Manny's hotel room. "I got to go run back to the room for a few minutes because I forgot something." Emma made up an excuse. "Cover for me if Jay asks where I went."

Emma turned around avoiding eye contact with Sean and slipped out one of the back doors of the conference room.

Minutes later she was safely locked behind the hotel room door. She managed to get seated on the bed before the tears began to fall. She dug in her wallet and pulled out a photo of Christine from her first birthday. It was the only photo she had of her. Sean had sent it shortly after her first birthday to her parents house. Even though she knew then it would've been easier for her to forget if she had just thrown it out something inside of her made her keep it. As the tears fell on the picture she wiped them off gently and starting speaking aloud. She was finally able to say how she really felt. "I missed you baby. Mommy missed you so much." As she spoke the words her mind went back to four and a half years earlier when it all had began.

"_Are you sure you have everything?" Spike asked as she walked Emma to the cab that was waiting in front of their house to take her to the airport._

"_For the millionth time mom, I have everything. I'm only going overseas. Not to another planet or anything." Emma said._

_Spike gave Emma a hug and held on to her tight. "Well it might as well be a different planet. It's on a different continent."_

"_Don't worry. I'll email you as much as I can." Emma assured her mother._

"_You could call some too." Spike mentioned._

"_I'm not sure how the phones are going to work over there. It'll be safer to email. And don't worry. Six months will go faster than you think."_

_Spike nodded. "I just wanted to let you know how proud your dad and I are of you. You were the only one selected out of our whole environmental studies program to spend six months overseas. It's an opportunity of a lifetime and even though we're going to miss you like crazy I'm happy that you are brave enough to do it."_

_Emma plastered a fake smile on her face regretting the fact that she had to lie to her mother. She hated lying to her mother but desperate times called for desperate measures. Emma gave her mom one last hug and threw her bags in the backseat of the cab before getting in herself._

_She waved goodbye through the window and once they were a safe distance away from the house she spoke to the cab driver who was about to take the exit headed towards the airport. "Change of plans. Please drop me off at the bus station."_

_Three hours later Emma had arrived at her destination. She looked at the numbers on the apartments in front of her trying to find number six. She had stopped by his parents place and they had directed her here. _

_She spotted number six and nervously walked towards the door. It took all of the courage she had left in her to knock. She waited a few seconds after knocking but didn't hear anything so she tried once again. After a few seconds still nothing. She was about to turn around when she heard commotion coming from the other side of the door. _

_A half naked Sean answered the door. His mouth dropped open as he saw the girl standing in front of him. "Emma?" was all he could manage to get out._

_Emma, embarrassed at seeing a half naked Sean at 2:00 in the afternoon, quickly moved her gaze from his body to the ground as her cheeks turned a bright shade of pink. "I'm sorry if I interrupted something. I'll come back some other time." Emma said as she started to turn around and pick up her bags._

"_Emma!" Sean said stepping forward and turning her around. "You didn't interrupt anything. I was just sleeping. I worked late last night."_

"_Oh. Ok." Emma said slightly less embarrassed after his explanation. _

"_Did you want to come in?" Sean asked. Emma nodded her head yes and followed him in to the small one bedroom apartment._

_After half an hour of catching up Sean decided to shake things up a bit. "Em, it's been nice hanging out with you but we both know you didn't come all the way to Wasaga for just a friendly chat. What's wrong?"_

_A small part of her hated the fact that after all these years Sean could still read her like an open book. But for the most part she was thankful that he had that quality. He instinctively put his arm around her and brought her close so her head was laying on his chest. He ran his fingers through her golden blonde hair. The tears began to flow as she opened up to him. "I'm pregnant Sean and I have no where else to go."_

"_It's okay now. I'll take care of you." Sean whispered in her ear. "Everything's going to be okay."_


	7. Chapter 7

**Authors notes: I apologize in advance if this is not my best writing. We got some "news" yesterday and my heart wasn't in to this chapter. My husband just found out he is going to be going overseas soon. We knew it would come eventually...it's just a different feeling when you find out a date. Anyways, he's okay with it and I will be too...just takes a couple of days to get used to the news. As well, writing is kind of like therapy for me. It gives me a chance to think about something else. **

"Sean!" Manny squealed as she threw her arms around Sean's neck giving him a friendly hug. "It's so good to see you!" 

"It's good to see you to Manny. It's been to long since I've seen my friends from high school." Sean admitted. Christine still clung to his leg staring up at Manny.

"And who is this little cutie?" Manny asked bending down to Christine's level. "How are you doing sweetheart?"

Christine just stared not sure if she should speak or not. She was a bit on the shy side when it came to talking to adults other than her father.

"Manny this is my daughter Christine. Christine this is daddy's old friend from high school. Can you say hi to Manny for me?" Sean asked his daughter trying to get her out of her shell. Once Christine was comfortable with a person she would usually end up talking non-stop. She just needed a little push sometimes.

"Hi Manny." Christine whispered still playing shy. "You have pretty earrings."

"Thanks." Manny said smiling at the little girl who was to cute for words. For some odd reason Manny felt that the girl looked familiar but she couldn't place it.

"Where did Emma take off to? I saw her standing here with you just a minute ago." Sean asked.

"She made up some excuse about having to go upstairs to my hotel room to get something. I honestly think you spooked her. We didn't know you were going to be here today." Manny explained.

Sean hadn't been surprised to see Emma run off once she had spotted him. He needed to talk to her and he needed to talk to her alone. "Manny, do you mind watching Christine for a few minutes? I have something I need to take care of."

Manny gave Sean a look telling him that she knew he was going after Emma. Manny nodded agreeing to watch Christine for Sean.

"Daddy has to go for a few minutes. Can you stay with Manny and a be a good girl for daddy?" Sean asked picking her up and placing a kiss on her cheek.

"I can paint your finger nails for you. I just got this great new red nail polish." Manny suggested hoping to win Christine over. 

Manny's suggestion worked. Christine smiled and put her arms out for Manny to take her. 

As Sean waved goodbye to the two girls, Manny went against her better judgement and decided to say one more thing. "She's in room 412."

"Thanks." Sean said before disappearing out of the conference room.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Emma wiped her tears. _No time to cry. I need to get myself freshened up and back to that party before Jay notices I'm gone. But how am I going to face Sean? Just seeing him makes my belly do flip flops. Be strong Emma. You're tough. You always get through tough situations so this one won't be any different. _

Emma finished re-applying her mascara and eyeliner after giving herself the pep talk. She took a few deep breaths trying to calm herself even further. 

There was a small knock on the door. If she hadn't been standing in front of it she probably wouldn't have even heard it. She opened it already knowing in her heart who was on the other side.

"Sean." Emma whispered as she moved aside and let him walk in the room as she closed the hotel room door behind them. He walked in nervously and sat down on the bed and just stared at her. Her eyes met his and she continued the staring game. 

They stared at each other for what seemed like hours but in reality was only a few minutes. You could hear a pin drop as the room was smothered in silence. Finally, Emma broke the silence. "You must hate me." she stated.

Sean shook his head in disagreement. "I have experienced a lot of emotions over the past four years including confusion, loneliness and resentment. But never once did I feel hatred towards you Em."

Em. There it was. The simple nick name that when said by Sean still made her go weak at the knees. Even if it had been four years since he had last used it. Tears filled her eyes once again. She tried to be strong and hold them back but within seconds they overflowed and came pouring down her cheek.

Sean watched the tears begin to flow and no matter how many questions he had for her, he knew they could wait. He got off the bed and instinctively wrapped his strong arms around her and pulled her close allowing her to rest her head in to his chest. He felt her warm tears soak through his shirt and he ran his hand through her golden blonde hair as he breathed in her honey vanilla scent that hung in the air. Holding her like this reminded him of the night she had shown up at his apartment over four years earlier and the events that had happened after he promised he would take care of her.

_True to his word Sean did begin taking care of Emma. About a month later Emma and Sean sat on the couch one night eating dinner and watching a movie.__Emma had gotten a job at the local diner waiting tables while Sean continued his job as a mechanic at the garage. They spent most of their evenings hanging out, watching TV and catching up on old times. Originally Sean had offered to give Emma his bed and he would sleep on the couch but after a few nights they both realized it was silly and decided to share the bed._

_As the movie "50 First Dates" finished Emma set down her plate on the coffee table and looked at Sean. "Well I'm glad we didn't go on 50 first dates. The first one was bad enough. I'm sure we were both happy we didn't have to repeat it." Emma said._

"_You mean bird poop and digging through garbage for a purse that isn't even really lost doesn't happen on every first date?" Sean asked teasing her._

"_Not normally." Emma replied. She caught Sean looking at her with a twinkle in his eye. She could tell that he enjoyed being around her. She was happy that he seemed happy even if the situation they were in wasn't exactly the most normal one._

"_You know if I could go back to our first date, I would." Sean admitted._

"_Back to bad hair, braces and general pubescent awkwardness…..no thanks!" Emma said shaking her head._

"_I'd go back so I could do the one thing I should've done that night to end the date perfectly." Sean placed a hand on each side of her face gently and leaned in and placed his lips on hers for the first time in six years. As their lips touched fireworks ignited in both of their bodies. There was an indescribable comfort in locking lips with your first true love._

_Just as quickly as he had kissed her Sean pulled back. "I'm sorry Em. It's just that I've wanted to kiss you since the moment you showed up outside my door a month ago. I know you have a lot going on and the last thing you need is me messing it up. I should just stop." _

_Sean kept his hands on her face though not wanting to let go. Emma had a million thoughts racing through her mind. She knew her life was complicated enough without adding a relationship with Sean to the mix. But she couldn't deny the way she felt when he touched her and the way she felt when he kissed her. Her brain told her that kissing him back would just screw things up but her heart told her to go for it. A girl usually follows her heart. Even when it's not always logical. _

"_I don't want you to stop." Emma said leaning back in and placing her lips on his this time. He deepened the kiss and gently laid her down on the couch so he was over top of her smothering her in sweet kisses making up for lost time._

**Look forward to more flashbacks in the upcoming chapters. We will find out who the father is and why Emma abandoned her daughter.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Authors notes: First and foremost I would like to thank my awesome readers for their support from the news I recieved last week. I am doing much better now and your kind words meant a lot. It seems like this "war" is affecting everyone in some way or another. Anyways, finally another chapter written. I hope you enjoy!**

More Flashback...3 months after arriving to Wasaga

_Sean rested his hand on Emma's ever growing belly as they lay in his bed together getting ready to go to sleep for the night. Emma was reading a book while Sean laid beside her cuddling with her and praying he would feel the baby kick. The baby had kicked several times but he hadn't been around to have a chance to feel it._

_Emma glanced down at Sean and smiled. He had been so good to her the last three months and she would do almost anything to be able to change things and make him the baby's biological father. She sighed aloud. Life just wasn't fair sometimes._

_As if Sean knew what she was thinking his eyes met hers as he scooted up beside her and put his arm around her neck. He left his other hand on her belly._

"_Em?" Sean said._

_  
"Yes, Sean."_

"_It's been three months since you arrived here. You know you can always talk to me, right? About anything." Sean kept eye contact so she knew he was being sincere._

_Emma sighed again. It hurt to bring up the past. It was easier to forget. She had moved to a place where she was able to forget her life back home but she knew that eventually the day would come where she would have to face it again. She owed it to Sean to tell him the truth about everything._

"_Six months ago I found out that I had been selected to take part in an exclusive environmental study overseas." Emma started. She started at the beginning because he needed to know everything. "I was the only one in my class picked and it was like a dream come true. A few friends and I decided to go out that night and celebrate. Well let's just say too many tequila shots later, I found myself waking up beside some stranger in a hotel room half naked."_

_"Did he hurt you?" Sean asked concerned._

"_No. It was consensual. Believe me when I say it wasn't my proudest moment and once I realized what I had done I got out of there as fast as I could." _

_Sean nodded. He understood now why Emma hadn't mentioned a boyfriend. The baby was a result of a one night stand with a stranger. Now he had half of the mystery solved. He now needed to know the reason behind Emma running to him with her situation. "How did your parents take it when you told them you were pregnant?"_

"_When I tell them, I'll let you know." Emma whispered looking down ashamed._

_  
"You haven't told them yet?" Sean exclaimed. "You have great parents. I'm sure they would support you and be there for you."_

"_You don't understand." Emma explained. "I couldn't let them down, again."_

"_Let them down? You are an amazing person Em. Why would you ever think you'd be letting them down?"_

"_Let's just say I had a few rough years after the shooting. I'm not sure which made them more disappointed in me; my infamous trip to the ravine that ended with me catching an STD or my eating disorder which landed me in the hospital."_

"_The shooting was a traumatic event, Em. We all dealt differently. I'm sure your parents never held any of those things against you." He pulled her close and hugged her allowing her to feel comfort in his strong arms._

"_I almost told them." Emma confessed still wrapped in Sean's arms. "I had made up my mind to tell them the night before I showed up here. I had already cancelled the environmental studies trip. I walked in to the house that night ready to face my fears. I didn't expect what was facing me on the other side of the door?"_

"_What was on the other side of the door?"_

"_A surprise going away party. All of my friends and family were there. My mom and dad came up to me and hugged me saying how proud they were of me. You could tell by just looking at them that they were. I couldn't disappoint them. It was at that moment that I decided not to tell them and to come here."_

_Emma relaxed a bit finally happy to be able to get everything off her chest that she had kept in for the last few months. She laid back down on the pillow and Sean ran his hand up and down her stomach. She still had one more thing she needed to tell him and then she felt as if she could completely be set free._

"_You're probably wondering why I chose Wasaga?" Emma asked._

"_Sometimes I do." Sean confessed. "I know we didn't have the best track record when we were dating . I always seemed to mess things up so I was a bit surprised when you came here and trusted me to help you through this situation."_

"_You are right. We didn't have the best track record when we were dating." Emma started. "But no matter whether or not we were getting along, one thing never changed. You always looked out for me even if I wasn't your responsibility at the time. I know you used to watch me."_

"_You saw that?" Sean asked alarmed. He had always had a watchful eye for Emma but had tried to be discreet. Especially after starting to date Ellie._

"_Yeah. I did. And I'm assuming Jay coming up to talk to me at school after you had went back to Wasaga wasn't a coincidence either." Emma stated._

_Sean nodded. He had called Jay and asked him to check up on Emma after the shooting. Sean needed to know that she was okay. He hadn't predicted that Jay would try something with her if he had the chance._

"_I decided to come here because I knew in my heart that you would take care of me and the baby. I knew that you wouldn't turn us away even though it had been years since we last spoke. I never stopped loving you Sean and in my heart I had hoped that you had never stopped…"_

_Sean interrupted her. "I love you too, Em." Sean crashed his lips into hers. She felt her heart race as she realized that she had just admitted out loud that she was still in love with him and that he still loved her too. Just as she started to deepen the kiss she felt the baby move in her stomach followed by some painful jabs._

"_Sean!" Emma pulled away abruptly from the kiss. _

_Sean smiled amazed as he felt the soft jabs hit his hand through her stomach. "Our baby is kicking! I finally felt our baby kick." Sean exclaimed.  
_

'_Our Baby?' Emma thought. 'I like the sound of that.'_

**Don't worry...there will be more Jemma in the future. I just need to get through the flashbacks so you guys can know what happened in the past. This story is a Semma/Jemma and in the end we'll have to see which way it turns out!  
**


	9. Chapter 9

Emma pulled herself out of Sean's arms and stepped back a couple of feet trying to compose herself. She hated that she fell apart in front of him but some things she was unable to hold in any longer. Maybe a good cry is what she needed to get everything she had bottled up over the past four years out of her system.

"How is Christine?" Emma finally asked.

Sean stared at Emma. He hated seeing her upset and could only imagine the amount of guilt she had felt abandoning her daughter. As much as he wanted to know why she had left he decided to make things easy on her for the time being and try to remain calm in front of her.

"Christine is fine. She's a smart kid. She loves helping me out at the shop and I vow that she'll know how to change the oil in my car by the time she turns six." Sean said.

Emma chuckled. Leave it to Sean to teach his daughter how to change the oil in the car. Most four year old girls were into playing dress up and tea parties. They were not into fixing cars. But that was mostly her fault for not sticking around. She owed him an explanation and the best way was to start with an apology.

"Sean, listen, I'm really sorry about everything. I'm sorry I left when you two needed me the most. It's just that……" Emma started but Sean quickly stopped her.

"Please don't do this now Em. I appreciate your apology but I didn't come here today for that. Seeing you today is enough of a shock. Let me get used to that first and then we can dive into explanations of things that happened years ago. Let's just enjoy this opportunity we've been given to reconnect." Sean explained.

Emma sighed. She couldn't believe he was giving her a free pass. He had really grown up over the years and had become a calm, mature, responsible young man. "Thanks." Emma whispered.

She looked in the mirror to see if there was any chance of salvaging her make up. She needed to return to the lunch in without looking like she had just cried a river.

"You look beautiful." Sean said noticing her staring at the mirror. Emma fixed her mascara one last time and applied one more coat of lip gloss.

"Now I look beautiful." Emma replied back to him slightly smiling.

Sean grabbed her hand and started pulling her towards the door. "Maybe if we hurry we can still get downstairs in time to tell Jay's bride to be what a huge mistake she's making." Sean said jokingly.

Emma dropped her hand from Sean's and froze. He didn't know. How could she tell the man she used to once love that she was about to marry his best friend.

Sean noticed Emma's hesitation and gave her a confused look. "Oh, Is Jay's fiancee a friend of yours? Emma continued to stare at him but was unable to get the words out. "Is everything okay Em? Did I say something wrong?"

Emma still unable to speak raised her hand in front of Sean allowing her engagement ring to cross his line of sight.

"That's an engagement ring." Sean stated. "You….you're…you're getting married?" Sean stuttered. He had tried to prepare himself for the fact that if he ever ran into Emma again that she may have moved on with someone else but seeing the engagement ring on her finger and knowing that some other guy had given it to her felt like a kick in the stomach.

"Yes." Emma whispered.

Just as he began to breath again it felt like another kick in the stomach when he realized who she was engaged to. "You and Jay?"

"Yes me and Jay." Emma answered. She didn't want to go in to too many details as she could see the hurt in his eyes. "He's changed you know. He's a really good guy." Emma said defending her fiancee. She knew that even though Sean had been Jay's best friend years ago he still would question whether or not Jay was good enough for her. Sean should be questioning whether or not Emma was good enough for Jay. She wasn't as virtuous as some people had made her out to be.

"I'm guessing he doesn't know about Christine." Sean said recalling Jay's unemotional reaction to seeing a picture of her the night before at Spinners. Sean tried to remain calm even though the he had just lost the hope he had held onto for Emma returning to him someday.

"No. He doesn't." Emma said ashamed. She had never told anyone. When she returned to Toronto after Christine's birth she pretended as if nothing had happened and had picked back up with her life.

"You need to tell him Emma. Not even Jay deserves to go into this marriage without knowing the truth about your past. You need to tell him about me and Christine."

Emma nodded knowing what Sean was saying was true. She had always intended to tell Jay about her daughter but had never found the right time to bring it up. She needed to find the right time within the next week before Jay figured it out for himself.

"I'll tell him. I just need a couple of days." Emma said. "Will you keep it to yourself until I have a chance to explain to him and to my parents?"

"I will Emma, on one condition."

"What's the condition?" Emma asked.

"That you spend some time with your daughter this week. I know you're probably going to be busy with your wedding stuff but please just spend a few hours getting to know her." Sean pleaded. He knew that if Emma would just spend a few hours with Christine that maybe she would decide to make herself more of a permanent fixture in Christine's life. Sean knew Christine would definitely benefit from having a woman around from time to time.

"I will make time for my daughter. It's something I should have done a long time ago." Emma confessed. Sean nodded. Emma was happy that Sean was being so reasonable but was slightly confused with his reaction.

"Thank you Sean for being so understanding." Emma started. "But the Sean I used to know probably would've punched a whole in the wall by now after finding out that his ex-girlfriend was marrying his best friend. You really have changed."

"I'm a father now, Em. And my duty as a father is to look out for the best interest of my child. Punching a whole in the wall wouldn't solve anything." Sean admitted. "Though I'd be lying if I said the idea hadn't crossed my mind." Sean added.

"We better get going before they send out the search party." Emma said looking at her watch noticing the two had been gone from the party for about half an hour. "We'll chat later?"

Sean nodded and they exited the hotel room together and headed back to the lunch in.

**Authors notes: I've decided to hold off for a few chapters before I put the flashback in about Emma having the baby and abandoning it. I wanted to get back to the present for a bit and will add the other flashback in at an opportune time. I hope you enjoyed! :)  
**


	10. Chapter 10

**Authors notes: Sorry for the delay in updating. I've been very busy lately. I have stumbled upon more free time though in the next few weeks so hopefully i'll get the chance to update more frequently. Thank you to everyone who has been following this story this far )**

**Chapter 10**

"I'm going to get you!" Jay threatened as he chased after Christine. She squealed with laughter as she tried to get away from him dodging chairs and even running through one guest's legs. He let her stay a few feet in front of him letting her think she was actually going to get away. Once he had her cornered he picked her up and started tickling her.

"Let me go Jay!" Christine yelled as she laughed hysterically. "Let me down!"

"Not until you say please." Jay said continuing to tickle her. She squirmed trying to get free. Jay couldn't help himself and started laughing. He thought Christine was adorable and truly couldn't wait for the day that he and Emma had their own little batch of Hogart's running around.

"I see you're still picking on people half your size." Sean said interrupting Jay's thoughts.

"Daddy!" Christine squealed throwing her arms out for her father to take her. Sean took Christine from Jay's arms and set her down on the ground.

Christine quickly scanned the crowd looking for her new friend Manny. Once she spotted her she took off running towards her across the room.

"Christine Cameron!" Sean yelled after her and Christine turned around stopping in her tracks. "Where are you going?"

"To see Manny." Christine replied turning back around and taking off again. Sean watched as his daughter approached Manny and shyly got Manny's attention. Once Sean saw that Christine was safe with Manny her turned around and continued his conversation with Jay.

"I'm glad you could make it." Jay said as he nervously sipped on his drink. His drink was alcohol free but he thought a shot or two of something strong definitely wouldn't hurt him at this moment.

"Yeah me too. But I must admit I never thought I'd see the day when Jay Hogart was at a party that didn't have any alcohol." Sean commented. Sean could tell Jay seemed a bit nervous around him as he also had the night before. Now he understood why. "Must've been Emma's idea?"

Jay let out the breath he had been holding. Sean knew about them. Jay caught Emma out of the corner of his eye. His eyes met hers and she gave him a knowing look. In that look Jay could read that Sean knew about them and that he was partially okay with it. Well at least okay with it enough to still be standing there talking to Jay. Jay nodded to Emma to let her know he understood and she turned away becoming engrossed in her previous conversation to a fellow party guest.

"Yeah, it was Emma's idea to have an "alcohol free" pre wedding lunch thing. She thought it would be respectful since it was a family oriented event." Jay said. "But don't you worry. The alcohol will be flowing tonight at my bachelor party. You're coming right?"

Sean thought it over. He knew his duty as a friend should be to help celebrate the upcoming nuptials. But personally, he didn't feel like celebrating at all. How could he celebrate Emma and Jay getting married? "I'd like to come out tonight Jay but I don't have a sitter for Christine." Sean said making up an excuse. Well it was partially an excuse. He really didn't have a sitter for Christine.

"You do now." Spike said interrupting the conversation between the two men. Christine was now attached to Spike's leg. "Snake and I are going to be home tonight and Jack is staying at a friend's house. We'd love to watch Christine for you for the night. It's been a while since we've had a little girl around the house."

"Thanks for the offer." Sean started. "But I couldn't ask you to watch Christine."

"You didn't ask. I offered." Spike stated. "And I won't take no for an answer."

Sean couldn't explain to Spike the real reason for his hesitation to let her watch Christine. Emma would be quite uncomfortable if she knew about this situation. Maybe this is what Emma needed to admit the past and tell everyone about Christine. Afterall, maybe after Emma saw her own family around Christine she would realize what a mistake she was making marrying Jay and decide to go back to Wasaga with them. It was worth a try anyways Sean thought. He wasn't about to give up on Emma so easily.

"Please daddy? I want to go with Spike." Christine said pulling on his pant leg and pulling him away from his thoughts.

Sean looked down at his daughter who stared at him with her big brown eyes. It was almost impossible for him to say no when she looked at him like that. "Alright Chrissy," Sean said giving in to her. "You can stay the night with Spike as long as you promise you'll be good."

"I'm always good, daddy." Christine replied.

"We're going to leave now." Spike announced extending her hand out to take Christine's. Sean said goodbye to Jay agreeing to meet up with him at Spinner's a couple of hours later. He took Spike and Christine up to the hotel room so he could pack an overnight bag for her.

Jay walked over to the beverage table and snuck up behind Emma who was pouring herself some punch. He wrapped his arms around her and lightly kissed her neck. "Not here. My fiancee might see us." Emma said jokingly before turning around and putting her arms around Jay's neck. She leaned in and softly placed her lips on his letting them linger for a moment.

Jay's mind raced right to the gutter filled with dirty thoughts. All he wanted to do was sneak Emma out of the rest of the party and take her up to the hotel room and have his way with her. "Do you have the key to Manny's hotel room?" Jay asked.

"I do." Emma answered already knowing what Jay was thinking. Emma scanned the party. Most of the guests had left. The only ones remaining were Manny, Spinner and Jimmy. Emma was sure they wouldn't mind waiting for a little bit while Jay and her snuck up to the hotel room.

"Let's go then." Jay said grabbing Emma's hand and pulling her towards the door.

Emma got Manny's attention and signalled that she would be back in a few minutes. Manny smiled as she watched the two lovers head out the door.


	11. Chapter 11

**Authors notes: Sorry for the hiatus. I was on vacation. But just because I was on vacation didn't mean I had completely forgotten this fanfic. I spent most of my drive on the way there trying to figure out some of the dialogue for the upcoming chapters. Thank you for those who are still reading this story. Enjoy the chapter! )**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or any of it's characters. Also I do realize that a few of these lines from this story are borrowed from Episode 608 - Crazy little thing called love.  
**

Emma lay in Jay's arms. Both were out of breath after their brief encounter in Manny's hotel room. They both lay there staring at the ceiling. The past week had been so busy preparing for the weekend they hadn't had much time to just enjoy each others company. Jay gently stroked Emma's hair and then kissed her on the cheek as he tightened his arms around her.

Emma loved feeling Jay's strong arms around her. It was usually one of the only places she felt completely safe. But today she was feeling a little bit guilty. She had hated hiding Christine from Jay all these years but she especially hated it now that Christine was back in the picture.

Jay interrupted her thoughts. "I can't believe we're actually getting married next weekend. Everything is perfect. This week has been perfect. You are perfect."

Emma sighed. One of things she loved about Jay isn't that she didn't feel pressured to be perfect. But here he was classifying her as 'perfect' as so many other people in her life already had. She felt a huge lump form in her throat as she replied to his statement.

"I've still made mistakes." Emma admitted speaking softly.

Jay chuckled. "You're talking to the master of mistakes."

"So you won't hold them against me?" Emma asked sounding hopeful. If she could just explain what she had been dealing with four years earlier maybe he would understand and forgive her.

"Of course not." Jay said pulling her closer. "Why is there something you need to tell me about?"

"It's just…." Emma started but was quickly interrupted by a loud knock at the door.

"EMMA! JAY!" Manny yelled from the other side of the door. "You have to the count of three and then I'm coming in and I hope to find you both fully clothed."

The two scrambled out of the bed quickly and pulled on their discarded clothing. Emma headed to the mirror and tried to tame her wild hair.

Manny entered the room with Spinner and Jimmy at her heels. Jay laid casually on the bed with his arms propped behind his head with his signature smirk spread across his face.

Emma was still at the mirror trying to fix her hair as the three entered. "No need to try to hide what you guys were doing Em." Manny said. "Jay's face says it all."

Emma turned a dark shade of red and tried to keep herself busy by looking for something in her suitcase as she tried to hide the embarrassment.

"Let's get going." Spinner said to Jay who was still chilling on the bed. "We got a big night ahead of us."

Jay followed Spinner's command and got up off the bed. He walked over to Emma and kissed her gently on the cheek. She turned around and hugged him. "Have fun tonight at the bachelor party." she said.

Jay nodded and gave her look that assured her that everything was fine and that they'd talk later. The boys headed out of the hotel room and into the night.

Manny sprawled out on the other bed and looked at Emma who was still rifling through her suitcase. "So when did you want to leave Emma?" Manny asked.

Emma turned around facing her friend. "We can leave soon. I told Liberty we'd meet her at the restaurant around six. I just need to stop by my parent's house first. I think I left the earrings I wanted to wear tonight there."

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"Are you thirsty sweetie? I have juice, milk or water." Spike offered to Christine who was busy quietly coloring away in a coloring book.

"Juice please." Christine replied as she continued to color. Spike grabbed a glass from the cupboard and placed it in front of the girl.

She grabbed the juice from the fridge and started to pour it into the glass. As she poured she noticed something shiney around Christine's neck. It was a gold locket necklace that reminded Spike of the necklace Sean had given Emma in junior high.

"That's a pretty necklace." Spike commented.

Christine smiled at Spike. "It has some pictures in it. Would you like to see?" Christine asked proudly.

"Sure sweetie." Spike said sitting in the chair beside Christine. Christine picked up the small heart in her tiny fingers and opened it revealing two small photographs.

"The first picture is me and my daddy." Christine announced. "And the other picture is of my mommy."

Spike leaned in closer to look at the pictures. Just as Christine had said the first picture was of Sean and a baby version of Christine. Spike had been curious as to who was the mother of Christine. Sean hadn't mentioned it and there was no sign of her at the pre-wedding lunch-in.

Spike almost did a double take when she saw a picture of Emma on the other side of the heart. She stared at the picture for a moment with a confused look on her face.

"Isn't my mommy pretty?" Christine asked innocently. "I want to look just like her when I grow up."

Christine's comment brought Spike back to reality. "I'm sorry sweetie, but that isn't a picture of your mommy." Spike closed the locket and got up off the chair and headed over to the fridge quickly pulling off a picture of Emma to show Christine. "See hunny this is a picture of Emma. She's my daughter and she is a friend of your dad's but she is not your mother. You must be confused."

Christine looked at Spike trying to understand what she was saying. "I am not confused. My daddy said that my mommy's name is Emma Nelson and that he put a picture of her in the locket so she could always be close to my heart even though she can't be with us right now. My daddy wouldn't lie to me."

Christine simply went back to coloring not fully understanding how her words affected Spike.

As Spike looked at Christine and started to process the information she had just received she heard the front door open with the laughter of two girls shortly following.

"Mom?" Spike heard Emma say from the living room.

Spike was unable to speak. She wasn't sure what to say.

Emma, surprised by not hearing a reply from her mother, headed towards the kitchen. There sitting at the table was her daughter coloring and her mother looking as if she'd seen a ghost.

Emma looked at the scene and before she had time to think word's came flowing out of her mouth. "What is she doing here?" Emma asked her mother.

Christine heard a voice behind her and quickly turned around to see who was in the room. Her eyes widened and she began to smile as she recognized the person standing before her. "Mommy?" Christine asked.

"Tell her she's confused Emma. Tell her you are not her mother." Spike requested.

"I can't." Emma whispered.

"And why not?" Spike asked although she already knew the answer.

"Because I am her mother." Emma replied. She shifted her eyes from Spike to Christine who was patiently awaiting an answer to her own question. "I am your mother Christine."


	12. Chapter 12

**Authors notes: Short chapter, guys. I felt that this scene deserved it's own chapter. I'll post more soon. And as always, thanks for reading and reviewing! :)**

You could hear a pin drop in the Nelson-Simpson kitchen at the present moment. It was as if time had frozen and so had everyone else. It had seemed that in a single moment the world had changed. Or at least the world for Emma Nelson had changed. Her long hidden secret had been revealed to the one person who probably would have supported her if she had just been honest in the first place.

Spike was the first to move. She headed to the kitchen sink trying to busy herself with the dishes as a single tear slipped out of her right eye and fell to her cheek.

Emma still stood in one place. Christine stared at her mother yearning for answers. Answers to questions Emma wasn't able to answer. First she needed to deal with her own mother before she was able to be a mother herself.

Manny had heard the whole conversation between Emma and Spike. She had been right behind her. Manny sensed that Emma and Spike needed some alone time to sort this out.

"Oh…wow…Em….uhhh…" Manny started unsure of what to say still in shock with the revelation herself. "Christine, why don't we go to the park. There is a nice one a few blocks from here. What do you say?"

Christine shook her head at Manny. "No. I want to stay with my…."

"I'll paint your toenails." Manny bargained.

Christine thought it over for a second and then quickly replied. "Ok." She jumped off the chair and reached up to grab Manny's already extended hand and the pair headed on their way out the front door.

"Mom…I'm sorry." Emma started.

Spike vigorously scrubbed a pot with a sponge not responding to Emma's comment.

"Please mom….say something." Emma half whispered half demanded as her own tears began to flow.

Spike turned around and faced her daughter. For the first time she could see the pain in her daughters eyes. This couldn't have been easy for her Spike thought. Spike closed the gap between the two and held Emma in her arms. "You could have came to us you know. We would've helped you."

"I know." Emma whispered in between sobs. "I just didn't want to let you down."

"You have never let us down, including now." Spike reassured Emma. "Why didn't you come to us with this?"

Emma pulled away and the two sat down across the table facing each other. "I was scared mom." Emma admitted. "After I gave birth, I held Christine for about 15 minutes. I looked down at her and I realized she had her whole life ahead of her and I thought she'd be better off without me messing it up. I knew Sean would be good to her so I left her with him and disappeared back to my life in Toronto."

Spike nodded. She understood the scared feeling Emma must have felt. Spike had felt it herself when she had given birth to Emma at the young age of fourteen.

"I made a mistake. It was a bad decision to leave. Do you think Christine will ever forgive me for leaving?" Emma questioned aloud.

"I know for a fact Christine loves you. I could see it in her eyes when she proudly showed me a picture of you that was in her locket." Spike replied.

"Really?" Emma asked.

"Really Em. What I've learned over the years is that kids forgive easier than adults. Show her you love her and stay in her life and I'm sure things will turn out fine."

Emma let out a big sigh. She felt much better getting everything off her chest. "Thanks mom. I feel a lot better."

"What are moms for…" Spike said with a smile.

"I guess I'm about to find out." Emma surmised.


	13. Chapter 13

"Push me higher Manny!" Christine squealed as she happily swung towards the sky. Manny stood behind her pushing her lightly. She couldn't believe this little girl belonged to her best friend. Well, she could believe it actually. Christine looked just like her mother. This made Manny smile as she thought back to when her and Emma were that age. They had played in the same park and had swung on the same swings. It was a carefree time when they didn't have any serious problems. They didn't have to worry about eating disorders or coke-head boyfriends. They could just play outside until the sun went down

"Manny! Push me again!" Christine repeated kicking her legs trying to make herself go higher.

"Ok. But not too high." Manny said pushing her one more time.

Manny let Christine swing for a couple more minutes. She looked down at her watch. It was already 5:00. They needed to get back to the Simpson-Nelson household so that Manny and Emma would make it to the restaurant to meet with Liberty for 6:00. Manny hoped Emma was still in the mood for her bachelorette party but understood if she wasn't due to recent developments.

Manny helped Christine off the street and they headed for the sidewalk. As they headed to the sidewalk Manny noticed a Red Honda Civic pull up and park on the street. As they got closer Manny recognized Sean getting out of the car.

"Daddy!" Christine yelled pulling her hand out of Manny's and running over to meet her father. He bent down so he could receive her hug. He looked up at Manny as he held his daughter in his arms with questioning eyes. Did Manny know Christine was Emma's daughter? If Manny and Christine were at the park just an hour before Emma's bachelorette party then something had to have happened.

"You know, don't you?" Sean asked Manny.

"Yes." Manny admitted. "And so does Spike."

Sean just nodded knowing that this day had to come eventually. The day where people started to find out the truth.

"Daddy, can you take us back to Spike's house? I'm too tired to walk." Christine said.

"Sure thing hunny. I was headed there anyway. I forgot to pack your pajamas so I was just dropping them off." Sean said picking up his daughter and heading towards the car. Manny followed behind them.

Sean helped Christine get into the backseat and buckled her up. Manny sat in the passenger seat. Sean started up the car and they started the short drive back to the Simpson-Nelson household.

"Daddy?" Christine said.

Sean looked in the rear view mirror at his daughter. "Yes, Chrissy."

"When we get back to Spikes house, can you come inside?"

"Of course I can. But why?" Sean asked.

"Because I think my mommy is sad." Christine said innocently. "Maybe you can give her a hug and tell her everything is going to be okay like you do to me when I'm sad. It always makes me feel better so maybe you can make her feel better too."

Sean sighed wishing that it was as easy as giving a simple hug to make everything okay again. The car stayed silent for the rest of the drive back to the Simpson-Nelson household.

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Emma laid on her old bed in her old room trying to relax. She had just had a great heart to heart with her mother so she felt a bit better but still knew she had a lot of explaining to do. Especially to Jay. She had no idea how Jay would react to the news.

All of the thinking had made her mentally exhausted. She yawned and rested her head back on the pillow. Before she knew it she was fast asleep.

Sean made his way quietly down the basement steps into Emma's old bedroom. He immediately saw her laying on her bed with her back to him. He watched as her stomach slowly rose and then fell back down with each breath. From a distance, she looked like she was sleeping peacefully. But upon closer examination Sean could hear the uneasiness in her breaths and the wrinkles on her scrunched up forehead.

Sean sat down gently on her bed beside her. He scanned the room. It was the first time he had been in the room since the summer between Grade 9 & 10. He had spent that summer fixing her father's car. He had been dating Ellie at the time but the days fixing Mr. Simpson's car had been long. Emma spent most of them outside with him keeping him company. Sometimes on the hottest days, Sean would take a break and they would head down to her bedroom in the basement each with a large glass of lemonade to cool off. It had been completely innocent between the two but Sean had looked forward to the afternoons when they could spend some time in her bedroom the most. It was the only time that he felt like he could completely let his guard down. They had developed a deep friendship over that summer. One that had lasted them to this very day even though they had gone years at times without speaking.

He saw a variety of pictures displayed on her night stand. There was one of her and Manny when they were not much older than Christine. There was a more recent one of her and Jay. He then spotted the Polaroid picture of the two of them from their first date almost 13 years earlier. It made him smile remembering the date that had started it all.

He turned around to face Emma once again. It took all the willpower he had in his body not to crawl underneath the covers, put his arms around her and hold her. His body and his heart wanted to but his brain told him it would be inappropriate. He listened to his brain for once, reached over and gently shook her to wake her up.

Emma rolled over and looked confused for a moment staring bewildered at Sean. "Sean? What time is it? What are you doing here?"

"It's 5:30 Em." Sean said answering her first question. "I stopped by to drop off Christine's pajamas. Sorry for not warning you she was going to spend the night here. Your mother wouldn't take no for an answer."

"It's okay." Emma said sitting up and leaning against her headboard. Sean moved from the edge of the bed and stretched out sitting beside her. "It's for the best anyways. Now my mom knows and so does Manny. My mom is going to tell Snake. The only other important person to find out is Jay."

Sean nodded.

"I need to tell him. Maybe I can catch up with him before he goes out. Tell him the truth. I need to get this off my chest." Emma suggested. Just the thought of telling Jay made her anxious.

"I don't think that's such a good idea." Sean admitted.

"And why not? He needs to know about Christine!" Emma said raising her voice a bit. She was confused as to why Sean did not agree with him finding out. He was the one who had suggested it earlier that day.

"I don't think it's such a good idea to tell him tonight." Sean said adding the word 'tonight' to his previous statement. "He's been at Spinner's for at least a couple of hours now. I know they had plans to get into the hard liquor tonight. Telling an inebriated Jay that he is about to be a step-father might kill his buzz. It's his bachelor party and it's your bachelorette. You guys are supposed to be both having the time of your life tonight. Telling Jay can wait until tomorrow."

"I suppose you're right." Emma admitted. She put her head in her hands trying to tune out the stress. "I don't even feel like going out. Things are different now."

Sean reached over and gently took her hands off of her face. He positioned her head so she was looking directly at him. He stared into her brown eyes. "Em…I just wanted to…" he started. Without being able to control his willpower any longer he reached over and placed his hand on top of hers lacing their fingers together.

Emma felt his touch. It sent shivers through her body. It was a feeling that she hadn't felt in a while and it was a feeling that she shouldn't be feeling from him. But no matter how much time had passed it was hard not to feel his touch and not want more.

"Yes, Sean?" Emma managed to spit out. She gently unlaced her fingers from Sean's and put them back in her lap. She knew being this close to him was inappropriate and was bound to get her in trouble.

"I….uhh….Just wanted to let you know that everything's going to be okay. Christine is going to be okay and so are you." Sean said reassuring her. "I'll always be here for you. You know that right?"

"I do." Emma said while nodding. Sean reached forward and gave her the hug that their young daughter had requested.


	14. Chapter 14

**Authors notes: Time to tell you guys that if you haven't had a chance yet, you should defenitely check out the movie entitled "August Rush". I rented it last weekend and it was AMAZING! I don't think I've cried so much during a movie in my entire life! :) Enjoy the chapter!**

"Let me guess, Spinner planned your entire bachelor party." Sean said to Jay who was leaning against the bar beside him. They watched as half naked women walked around w-aitressing and Spinner made a fool out of himself trying to talk to them.

"It's not that I don't appreciate half naked women surrounding me…" Jay started. He took a sip of his beer. Jay felt like he was being such a girl. The old Jay would've been in his glory standing in a strip bar drinking. "It's just that things are different now. This time next week I'll be a married man. Married men don't go to strip bars. Or at least they shouldn't, right?" Jay questioned.

"Looks like someone found their moral compass." Sean commented. Sean could tell that Emma had changed Jay in a way no other girl probably could have. She had that affect on people. Sean drank his beer quickly realizing that if he had to spend the evening with Jay then he needed something to help him forget about the fact that Jay and Emma were getting married.

"Boys!" Spinner yelled as he stumbled over to the two. "Follow me. I have a table reserved up front. The show is about to start."

Jay and Sean both stood there both not really interested watching a stripper. Both of them had Emma on their mind.

"How about we get out of here?" Sean suggested to the group of guys. " I heard there is a new dance club called Infusion. I'd like to check it out." Sean had heard about the club from Manny and Emma who said they had planned on heading there after their dinner with Liberty.

"Dude!" Spinner said hitting his own head with his hand. "You want to leave a strip club to go to a dance bar? Do you not like chicks anymore or something?"

Sean chuckled at Spinner. "Actually, I like girls a lot. You just have to look at it from a different angle. Dance clubs are filled with lots of hot girls."

"Drunk hot girls." Jay added.

"Yeah, and your point?" Spinner asked.

"Do you want to get lucky tonight?" Sean asked.

"Of course man! I'm a single guy and I got my needs." Spinner said.

"You have a lot better chance getting a girl at a dance club. At least you won't have to pay to get her anyway." Sean said.

Spinner thought it over for a minute and then smiled as if a light bulb had gone off in his head. "I'll run ahead and grab a cab. Meet you out front." The boys finished their beer and headed towards the front door to meet Spinner.

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"Cheers!" The girls said as they clinked their shot glasses together and then quickly swallowed the contents. Emma made a face as the taste of the alcohol burned her throat. She had never really been one to drink shots but tonight she needed to get the alcohol in her as quickly as she could so she could forget about the drama and focus on having a good time.

They heard the song "Stronger" by Kanye West play over the sound system. Emma pulled Liberty and Manny out to the dance floor which had started filling up quickly. They had arrived at the bar a couple of hours earlier and had spent most of the time just sitting back and watching the people around them. It was now their turn to get into the middle of the action.

The girls found their own corner on the dance floor and began to bust a move. The alcohol had definitely loosened them up and they got into the music.

Jay, Sean, Toby, Spinner and Jimmy entered Infusion as the song "Stronger" came to an end. "This place can't be half bad if they're playing Kanye." Jimmy commented as he rolled in and took a look around.

"I'll get us a round." Sean yelled over the music. He headed to the bar and a few minutes later came back with a round of shots and a round of beer.

"To Jay." Sean said as he raised his shot. The others followed and they clinked their shots before downing the alcohol.

Jay could feel the alcohol working it's magic. He looked around the packed club and out of the corner of his eye he spotted the familiar blonde. He almost did a double take not expecting to see his bride-to-be at the same club as him. Without thinking he grabbed his beer off the table and headed towards the dance floor. Spinner followed behind him.

Jimmy spotted a friend and rolled off to talk to them. This left Sean and Toby alone at the table. Toby and Sean both watched as Jay made it to the dance floor and met up with the girls. They watched as Emma threw her arms around Jay and kissed him passionately on the lips.

Sean turned his head away. He couldn't bear to look at it. Toby noticed Sean's face go from happy to sad all in a matter of seconds. "You knew she was going to be here, didn't you?" Toby asked.

"What? Who? What are you talking about?" Sean asked trying to play it cool.

"You knew Emma was going to be here tonight with the girls. That's why you suggested we come here, didn't you." Toby accused.

"So what. I knew they were going to be here." Sean admitted. "It's not like it means anything."

Toby rolled his eyes. He laughed at the fact that Sean thought he could pull the wool over his eyes. "It always means something when it comes to you and Emma."

Sean nodded. Toby had been a friend for a long time and he knew how much Emma had always meant to him.

"She's happy with Jay." Toby continued. "Please don't mess that up for her. She's been through enough."

"There was a time when I made her that happy too. Maybe it's not too late." Sean downed the rest of his beer and set it on the table. Now full with liquid courage he headed towards the dance floor without looking back.

Toby shook his head wishing he could stop Sean from approaching the dance floor.

**Authors notes: Uh oh! Sean's tired of just sitting back and watching Emma and Jay together. What will happen next? You'll have to read the next chapter when I post it to find out.  
**


	15. Chapter 15

**Authors notes: This is the chapter I enjoyed writing the most so far in this story. Also if you haven't had a chance yet, check out my new story called "Back in Time". It's a cute little story that I will be updating daily for the next five days. Hope you enjoy this chapter! :)  
**

"You look hot tonight." Jay whispered into his fiancee's ear as he danced closely behind her.

Emma spun around and put her hands behind his head teasing his hair a bit. "Well thank you Mr. Hogart. You don't look too bad yourself." She said while eyeing him up and down. She loved it when he dressed up a bit. He was wearing dark jeans, a light blue dress shirt with a white wife-beater underneath. He had left his signature hat at home for the night.

Jay tightened his grip around her and playfully nibbled on her ear which caused Emma to burst out into laughter. "Stop it Jay. Shouldn't you be hanging out with your boys tonight anyway? This is after all your bachelor party. Do you really want to look back at it and tell people you spent the whole night dancing with me?"

"There's no one else I'd rather be with." Jay admitted softly. Emma loved when Jay showed his soft side. It didn't happen all the time but she cherished the times it did. His kind words made her blush and she tried to look away so he wouldn't notice.

When she moved her head she noticed Sean walking towards them. She froze for a second wondering what he was doing walking towards them. She turned her head again and brought her attention back to Jay. "As always, Ms Nelson, you have made a good point." Jay started. "I should go find some of my boys. I need a refill on the beer anyways."

"Can I cut in?" Sean asked as he approached the couple. He looked at Jay waiting to be given permission to dance with Emma.

"Dancing to a slow song with another guy really isn't my style Cameron." Jay joked. "But you can dance with Emma if it's okay with her."

Jay moved out of the way so Sean could take his place on the dance floor in front of Emma. With his empty beer in his hand he leaned over and placed a quick kiss on her cheek. "You crazy kids have fun."

Sean stepped closer to Emma as he rested his hands on her hips. As she placed her hands on his muscular arms she realized that they hadn't slow danced together since their first dance thirteen years earlier. Hinder's latest hit blared over the speakers. Sean connected eyes with Emma and tried to see if he could still read her.

_I think you can do much better than me  
After all the lies that I made you believe  
Guilt kicks in and I start to see  
The edge of the bed  
Where my nightgown used to be_

"I'll take two Budweiser" Jay said as he handed the bartender a 10 dollar bill. The bartender quickly grabbed the beer and gave Jay back his change. Jay picked them up and handed one to Jimmy who was beside him.

"Jay Hogart getting married. I never thought I'd see the day." Jimmy commented.

"I hear that a lot." Jay said. "Especially when I tell people who I'm marrying."

"Emma's smart, beautiful and successful. How exactly did you get her to fall for you?" Jimmy asked. Jimmy knew Jay Hogart was known for being able to charm the ladies or at least a certain type of girl like the ones who hung around the ravine.

"It was simple. I loved her unconditionally." Jay explained.

Emma felt Sean's eyes on hers. He had the ability to reach inside her soul and figure out what she was thinking without her saying a word. With Jay, Emma had to talk about her feelings. They hadn't gotten to the point in the relationship where they could pinpoint exactly what was wrong without discussing it. She doubted they ever would. It was hard to find that strong of a connection with someone. And even after being a part for 4 years Sean was still able to read her perfectly.

"Stop regretting, Em. What's important is that we're here together now. Let's make the most of the time we have." Sean said soothing her. He rubbed his hand softly along her back and brought her in a couple of inches closer.

_I told myself I won't miss you  
But I remember  
What it feels like beside you  
I really miss your hair in my face  
And the way your innocence tastes_

Emma should have felt uncomfortable being this close to Sean. Her fiancee was only across the room and here she was practically connected to another human being. Maybe it was the amount of alcohol she had drank that made her not care. She needed this moment with Sean. She needed to be close to him and feel his touch. She moved one of her hands from his shoulder and placed it on the back of his head. She gently ran her fingers through his long curly hair.

Sean closed his eyes as he held her and felt her touch. He felt so light in that moment like he could float away.

"You're a better man than me, Hogart." Jimmy admitted.

"That's something I never expected to hear from you Jimmy. I know it's not the truth but why are you saying it?" Jay asked. Jimmy and Jay had gotten to know each other over the past few years from hanging out with Spinner together. Jimmy had forgiven Jay but Jay could not help but still feel guilt every time he saw Jimmy in the chair.

"If the tables were turned and this was last year when Ashley and I had our bachelor/bachelorette parties there is no way that I would be okay with her dancing with one of her ex-boyfriends. If Craig had shown up I'd make sure that they were on opposite sides of the room the entire night." Jimmy said as he watched Sean and Emma dance.

Jay glanced over at his fiancee and Sean who were dancing closely together. He should have been jealous but he wasn't. He trusted Emma. "It's her night too." he said nodding towards his fiancee. "If Alex was here tonight Emma would be okay with me dancing with her."

"Alex also plays for the other team though." Jimmy argued.

"Good point." Jay chuckled. "Sean and Emma are just friends. They share a history which involves a middle school romance. I'm alright with that."

Jimmy looked at Jay. He couldn't believe Jay didn't know. "I'm sorry to be the one to tell you but they share a lot more than some middle school romance. They share a kid."

_And I can't pretend... I won't think about you when I'm older  
Cause we never really had our closure  
This can't be the end_

Sean moved his hands up a couple of inches from her hips to her slightly exposed stomach. He touched her bare skin for the first time in what seemed like forever. Just being able to touch her took him to a place he wasn't sure if he'd be able to return from.

Emma could feel Sean harden against her. Her brain screamed for her to step away but her body refused to let her. She rested her head on his shoulder as the song came to an end.

Sean breathed in her honey vanilla scent. The song was ending and he wasn't ready to let go yet. A four minute song did not make up for four lost years. "Come back to my hotel room tonight, Em." Sean whispered in her ear. "Stay with me, please?"

**Lots of drama ahead! Stay tuned for more! **


	16. Chapter 16

**Authors notes: As an auther, some chapters you struggle with to get right and others just magically flow as you type it out. This was an easy chapter to write! :) Enjoy!**

"Jimmy, what the HELL are you talking about?" Jay said as his anger flared. His non-chalent attitude flew right out the window.

"Sean's daughter Christine. She's got blonde hair and big brown eyes just like Emma." Jimmy replied.

Jay shook his head. He couldn't believe Jimmy would be so cruel. "Listen man, I said this before but I'll say this again if it makes you feel better. I'm sorry. I'm sorry about the stupid thing we did to Rick. I'm sorry I am one of the reasons you are in that chair. But lying to me about something huge like this a week before my wedding is low man. How could you be so cold?" Jay shot an icy glare at Jimmy.

Jimmy sighed. Why he had ever tried to befriend Jay he wasn't sure. But Jimmy always tried to rise above and tonight he was going to rise above even if it meant swallowing his own pride to do it. Jimmy took marriage very seriously and knew that even Jay didn't even deserve to enter into it without knowing the whole truth.

"I'm not messing with you Jay. I buried my hatred a long time ago. I had to do that to move on. I'm happy now. I was just hoping that as a friend that if the shoe was on the other foot that you'd be just as honest with me." Jimmy reassured.

Jay saw Jimmy's look of sincerity. Jay didn't want to believe Jimmy was right. But if Jimmy knew something then it was Jay's responsibility to find out the truth.

"Plenty of kids have blonde hair and brown eyes so that doesn't really mean it's hers. Do you have any more proof?" Jay asked still in disbelief.

"Four years ago Emma was supposed to go on a trip…" Jimmy started.

"Yeah she told me about that. She went overseas for six months….some environmentalist thing." Jay interrupted.

"Have you ever seen any pictures of her time away? Has she told you any stories?" Jimmy asked trying to prove his point.

"No." Jay admitted. "When I used to bring it up she just told me she really didn't like to talk about it so eventually I stopped bringing it up."

Jay thought for a moment putting the two pieces of evidence together. He still couldn't agree with Jimmy. A child with blonde hair, brown eyes and a trip that he didn't have any proof of still wasn't solid evidence that she had a child and abandoned it four years ago.

Jimmy could sense Jay's hesitation at the information he had just gave him. "I'm not sure Jimmy. Christine can't be hers."

"If Exhibit A & B don't convince you then I suggest you take a look at Exhibit C." Jimmy said pointing towards the dance floor. Jay looked over and saw Sean and Emma dancing closer than before. He saw Sean make his move and move his hands from her hips to her bare skin just above her jeans. He saw Emma rest her head on Sean's shoulder as she closed her eyes. Jay's anger flared and irritation overcame him. He felt like going on the dance floor and pummelling Sean. "If you honestly believe that they haven't seen each other in 11 years then the only one that's getting fooled is yourself."

Jay slammed his beer on the bar unable to control his anger any longer. He headed towards the dance floor.

Sean breathed in her honey vanilla scent. The song was ending and he wasn't ready to let go yet. A four minute song did not make up for four lost years. "Come back to my hotel room tonight, Em." Sean whispered in her ear. "Stay with me, please?"

"Sean…I…I…" Emma stammered. She pulled her head off of his shoulder and met his eyes.

"I'm staying at the same hotel as Manny. You could wait until she's asleep and then sneak out to see me." Sean suggested. "No one has to know."

Emma knew the answer to this question without hesitation. "I would know Sean. I'm not that type of girl. I'm sorry but I can't do that to Jay."

Sean nodded and looked at the floor sadness filling his eyes. He mind understood her words but his heart still felt like it was breaking all over again.

Emma hated to see Sean sad especially after the last time she disappointed to him. "Maybe we could hang out tomorrow. You, me and Christine could go to the park and maybe grab some supper." Emma suggested hoping it would make it up to him.

"That would be alright. I can meet you in the lobby at the hotel tomorrow afternoon and then we can go pick up Christine from your mom's house together." Emma smiled and gave Sean a hug. She might not have been able to give him everything he wanted from her but at least she'd be able to spend time with her daughter.

"Jay, what's wrong?" Manny asked concerned as she stepped in front of Jay. Manny had just gotten off the dance floor and was headed to the bar for another drink when she had spotted the scowl on Jay's face and saw him making a beeline for the dance floor.

"Out of my way Manny." Jay said as he tried to get past her but she was quicker than him in his drunken state.

"Not until you tell me what's wrong." Manny commanded. "I know you're headed towards Emma and I'm not going to let you ruin her night."

"Alright then best friend of Emma." Jay said angrily. "Tell me something. Is it true? Is Christine Emma's daughter?"

Manny dropped her mouth in shock. She hadn't expected Jay to ask that question. She was unsure of what to say. "Who…who…who told you that?" Manny sputtered.

"Wrong answer." Jay bittered. "I'm outta here." He turned around abandoning his quest to find Emma and headed out the front door and into the night.

"Can I buy you another drink?" Sean asked as they headed off the dance floor. Sean placed one of his hands on the small of her back as he guided her through the busy dance floor crowd.

"No thanks. I'm alright." Emma yelled back at him over the music. As they exited the dance floor Manny waited for them with a concerned look on her face.

"Emma it's Jay. He's mad and he just took off." Manny stated as soon as she had Emma in ear shot.

"He's probably just mad that Sean and I were dancing. If he is than he can get over it and I'll see him tomorrow." Emma replied. She was not a fan of jealousy and would not cater to it.

"No Em. It's serious. He knows about Christine." Manny said.

"But what…when…how…" Emma stuttered. Her heart sank as it felt like it was just crushed by a 1000 pound brick.


	17. Chapter 17

**Authors notes: In case you were wondering, no, I haven't forgotten about this fanfic or my loyal readers. I've been working on this chapter for a few days. Sometimes it takes me a few days to get the correct wording. I want to make every chapter the best I can so sometimes it takes me a while. Anyways, hope you enjoy! :)**

"Is this seat taken?" Emma asked as she approached the infamous picnic table at the ravine. Emma had stopped at their apartment first and then had went to Spinner's on her quest to find Jay but had come up empty at both places. This was her last place to look and she had found them.

Jay sipped his beer and tried to ignore his fiancee. He had no words for her at this particular moment in time.

"Jay, I asked if this seat was taken?" she said again pointing to the empty spot beside him on the picnic table. The fire blazed in front of him. Mysteriously they were the only two at the ravine that night.

"It's not reserved for lying fiancees who forget to tell their significant other about a child they had if that's what you're asking." Jay replied bitterly as he stared straight forward in to the fire.

"I was going to tell you…" Emma started as her lip trembled. She hated to seeing the one she loved the most so upset at her.

"When were you going to tell me Emma?" Jay asked. "When Christine graduated from high school? Or were you going to wait until you left me for Sean."

Emma sat down beside him. "So that's what this is about." Emma accused Jay. "You think I'm going to leave you for Sean?"

"I saw you two dancing together Em." Jay admitted. "I saw the way he touched you." Jay could still not shake the image of Sean touching Emma.

"Sean and I have been through a lot together." Emma explained. "I'm with you now. I love you Jay." Emma reached over and turned Jay's face so he was looking at her. She gave him the most sincere look she could muster. She wanted him to see that she loved him. She wanted to get through this with him.

She placed her lips gently on his. She left them there for a moment just soaking up the feeling of their lips touching. Finally Jay pressed forward and deepened the kiss. Emotion overtook her and a single tear fell.

Jay felt the tear drop land on his cheek. The warmness on his cheek reminded him that he wasn't the only one that was hurting. Emma was obviously hurting as well about this situation.

He pulled away and leaned his forehead on hers. "What happened four years ago, Em?" Jay whispered wanting to know the truth. "Why did you leave Sean and Christine?"

Emma took a deep breath. It was time. It was time to admit to someone what had been on her mind that day four years ago. "I was in a dark place…." Emma started.

_The restaurant was busy with people as it was every Friday afternoon. Emma sat at an empty booth at the end of her shift. She pulled the change and small bills from her apron's pocket and scattered them across the table trying to organize them and count the amount before her. As she sat there she couldn't help but over hear the conversation taking place at the booth behind her._

"_Wasaga was a great idea for a place to celebrate our anniversary." The man said to his wife. _

_  
Emma thought she must be losing it. The voice was familiar but there was no way it could actually belong to the person she first thought it did._

"_You know I've always been curious about Wasaga ever since I met Sean. It's so beautiful here. I understand now why he never came back to the city." The woman said._

"_Sean Cameron. He was quite the kid. A little rough around the edges but had a good heart deep down. I wonder what he's up to these days? Maybe we could try to look him up while we're here, Spike." Snake said._

_Emma's heart dropped. Her parents sat only a few feet away. They were within arms reach but she could not find the strength in her body to turn around. She sat frozen while continuing to listen to their conversation."_

"_Sometimes I wonder what would've happened between Emma and Sean if he had stayed after the shooting." Spike admitted._

"_It's hard to say what would've happened. They weren't dating when he left. But they did always seem to find their way back to each other and love would conquer whatever problem they had faced." Snake theorized. _

"_I guess I always worried that if he had stayed that she might have ended up pregnant at a young age like I did." Spike admitted. "I don't know what I would've done if she had gotten pregnant. It is one of my biggest fears. I would've felt like such a failure."_

"_Emma's smarter than that." Snake reached over and put his hand on his wife's. "In a few years Emma will be graduated and well on her way to a great career. She'll meet some nice guy, get married and then have children. She'll do it right."_

_Tears formed in Emma's eyes. As each tear dropped and stung her cheek she realized for the first time the pain she would inflict on her parents if they found out the truth. She had been wavering over the past few months with what to do once she gave birth. Sean had been gracious enough to offer his place for her and the baby to live. He was willing to help raise the baby with Emma. Emma had also considered adoption. If she gave up the baby she would be able to go back to Toronto and go on with her life as if nothing had happened. She had already spoke to a counsellor who was going to meet her at the hospital after the baby's birth so Emma could let her know her final decision._

_As the tears streamed down Emma's eyes she felt some wetness on her pants. At first she thought she must've spilled her water but at closer inspection she realized what had just happened. Her water broke and the baby was on it's way. Emma slowly got out of the seat and headed to the backroom of the restaurant. She needed to find someone to drive her to the hospital and fast!_

**Authors notes: The rest of the flashback will be included in the next chapter.**


	18. Chapter 18

_The sound of a new born baby's cry echoed throughout the small hospital room. Emma held her daughter and was alone in the room for the first time since going into labour. The labour was quick and hadn't been as painful as she had expected. Unfortunately she had to go through it alone though. Sean had been out of town on a delivery for the garage and by the time someone had reached him it was already over._

"_Sean." Emma said as she looked up and saw him standing in front of her. She looked down at the tiny baby in her arms and then looked up at him again. "Sit here." Emma said moving over on the bed and motioning for him to sit beside her._

_Sean set the small gift bag he had brought with him on the floor. He sat beside Emma and stared at the baby in awe. "She's so tiny." he finally managed to say._

"_Would you like to hold your daughter?" Emma offered. Their eyes met and you could see an instant spark in Sean's._

"_Does this mean what I think it means Emma? Are you and the baby going to stay with me in Wasaga?" Sean asked excitedly._

_Emma slowly passed the baby over to Sean. She adjusted his arms so he was supporting her head correctly._

"_Sean, I haven't made my final decision yet." Emma answered. "No matter what I decide though, you will always be her father. We wouldn't have made it through the last six months without you."_

_Sean nodded. "Em? There's a gift bag on the floor. It's a present for the baby. I'd like you to open it."_

_Emma cautiously reached to the floor making sure not to fall out of the bed. She picked up the small gift bag and opened it up to reveal a rectangular velvet box. She opened it up revealing a locket on a gold chain. She picked it up gingerly removing it from the velvet case._

"_Sean? Is this…" Emma started._

_"Yes it is Em. It's the locket I gave you in Grade 8 after we had gotten back together. I found it in my pocket the day that I decided to stay in Wasaga." Sean said._

_Emma remembered slipping it into his discarded jeans pocket that day years ago on the beach. Sean was in his wetsuit and after he had apologized she realized that he needed that locket more than her. To her it symbolized a good time in their life and after the tragedy with Rick they needed to distract themselves with good memories. _

"_Every time I looked at that locket I could feel the love that we had shared over the early years. I want this baby to know that she has two parents that love her and love each other." Sean said. _

_Emma placed the locket back in the case and slowly closed it. There was no way she could give the baby up for adoption. There was also no way she was ready to be a mother either. She looked at Sean holding the baby once again. He held her in his arms tightly and talked to her. Emma could see the way he looked at her. Emma knew that taking that baby away would break his heart._

_A nurse popped her head in the room to let them know that visiting hours were over and that Sean would have to leave for the night. Sean placed the baby back in Emma's arms not wanting to let go. Without knowing Emma's answer he felt as if letting go of the baby might mean letting go of it forever._

"_Sean?" Emma whispered as to not wake the sleeping baby._

"_Yes, Em." Sean said meeting her eyes._

"_You know I'll always love you, right?" Emma asked._

"_Of course Em. I'll always love you too, no matter what you decide." Sean assured her. He put his arm around her and brought her in close._

_Emma turned her head and quickly met his lips with hers. She pressed them hard against his needing to feel his touch one last time. A tear dropped down her cheek._

"_The baby's allowed to go home at 9:00am tomorrow morning. Could you show up then with the car seat?" Emma asked._

_Sean excitedly kissed her again happy to hear that Emma was keeping the baby and they were going to be going home with him. "I'll be here at 9:00am sharp to bring my two favourite girls home" He placed a kiss on her head and then leaned down and placed one on the baby's head. "I'll see you then." _

_Sean got up off the bed and headed towards the door. _

"_Bye Sean." Emma whispered but Sean didn't hear her. He was already halfway down the hall. _

"_I love you baby. " Emma said now looking down at her daughter. "I'm sorry I can't be your mommy right now. But don't worry because your daddy is going to do an amazing job taking care of you." _

_Emma put the baby back in her hospital cradle and gathered her things together. She found a piece of paper and wrote a short letter to Sean explaining the situation. She apologized for leaving and expressed that she hoped he would someday understand her decision. She asked him not to contact her._

_Emma paged the nurse to her room and got ready to say goodbye to her baby for the last time._

Emma stopped her flashback and let Jay hold her. Bringing up this particular memory made her sob.

"It's okay Em. I got you." Jay said pulling her closer and rubbing her back with his arm. "Everything's going to be alright."

"I left her Jay. What kind of person does that? What kind of person abandons their daughter?" Emma asked still sobbing.

Jay tightened his grip as tight as he could feeling her tears soaking his shirt. He didn't mind though. "You were scared. We all do things we aren't proud of when we're scared. The important thing is that you have a chance to fix your mistake now."

Emma knew what Jay was saying was true. Sean was being very willing to let her back in to Christine's life. She needed to show him that she had changed and that she was ready to be a mother.

"Let's get out of here Em." Jay suggested. "I'll walk with you back to the hotel and then I'll take a cab to Spinner's."

"I'd rather we go back to our place together." Emma said. "If that's okay with you."

"There's no where else I'd rather be." Jay said leaning over and giving her a kiss on her cheek. They got up off the picnic table and left the ravine walking hand in hand.

**Authors notes: Thanks to everyone who has stuck with me this far. Now you know what happened the history to Emma abandoning her daughter. Stay tuned for the next couple of chapters...they should be very interesting. :)**


	19. Chapter 19

**Authors notes: Thanks once again for all of the reviews. I always enjoy reading them.**

Jay pulled the car up in front of the hotel. It was a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon and he would rather have been spending the day with Emma instead of dropping her off at the hotel and then spending the day in the garage.

"Are you sure you can't get out of going to the garage today? We could hang out later." Emma asked as Jay stopped in front of the main door to the hotel.

Jay put the car in parked and looked over at his fiancée. "I'd love to hang out with you Em but I promised Tony I'd put in a lot of extra hours this week. You know how backed up we are at the garage and if you want to spend our honeymoon somewhere tropical rather than in a dirty garage filled with cars then we won't be able to see each other much until this weekend."

Emma gave Jay the puppy dog eyes trying to get him to change his mind. She hated to think they would barely see each other this week. Especially with all of the recent developments. She wanted him around now more than ever. She needed him for support.

"Sorry Em. Giving me those eyes aren't going to work this time." Jay said. "Besides, you're going to be too busy for me this week anyway. You have Manny in town and you're going to be spending time with Sean and Christine plus all the last minute wedding details. This week will fly by and before you know it Saturday will be here."

Jay reached over and placed his hand on hers and gave it a little rub to reassure her that everything was going to be okay. Emma squeezed his hand and leaned in for a quick kiss.

"Can we do lunch tomorrow?" Emma asked as she unbelted her seat belt and gathered her things.

"Of course. I'll call you later babe." Jay leaned over and placed one more kiss on her lips. He smirked and immediately a smile formed on her lips. His infamous smirk worked on her every time.

"Bye Jay." Emma said as she started to exit the vehicle.

"Em?" Jay called after her before she closed the door.

"Yes?" Emma asked.

"Could you ask Sean to stop by the shop later. I just wanted to talk to him and let him know there are no hard feelings." Jay said.

"Sure." Emma exited the car and entered the hotel and headed to Manny's room.

Emma knocked on the door but no one answer. She knocked again a second time louder than the first but there was still no answer. Emma then remembered that she still had a hotel room key. She fished it out of her purse and swiped it. The light on the door's keypad turned from red to green and the door handle turned with ease.

"Manny?" Emma asked as she entered the room.

Emma heard a moaning sound and walked in further to find out where it was coming from. She noticed Manny laying on the bed with her eyes closed. "Could you have knocked any louder? I thought the entire room was collapsing on me." Manny moaned as she tried to sit up in bed.

Manny's head was pounding from the ungodly amount of alcohol she had consumed the night before. Emma immediately grabbed an empty glass and went to the bathroom sink and filled it up with water. She took two advil out of her purse and handed them to Manny.

"Here, first take this. It will make you feel better."

While Manny sat up and took the pills, Emma looked around the room. There were empty beer bottles scattered across the room and a few empty pizza boxes.

"What happened last night?" Emma asked as she started to clean up the hotel room. She still had half an hour before she was due to meet Sean so she decided to clean as Manny and her talked.

"Well, let's just say we weren't ready to end the celebration after the bar closed." Manny started. "A bunch of us came back here afterwards. We were all pretty wasted."

"Well I'm happy you guys had a good time." Emma said. Emma picked up the last pizza box off the floor and underneath it lay an opened condom package. Emma dropped the box and picked up the condom wrapper and threw it at Manny. "Looks like someone had a REALLY good time last night." Emma joked.

Manny blushed recalling the events of the night before. She had been pretty wasted but she remembered who she had hooked up with and how good it was. "So whose the lucky guy?" Emma asked curiosity getting to her.

"Promise you won't laugh?" Manny asked in all seriousness.

"I promise." Emma said as she sat down beside Manny on the bed. To Emma it felt just like old times as they sat across from each other spilling their secrets.

"It was Spinner." Manny admitted.

Emma burst out in laughter. "Spinner? You're joking right?"

Manny gave her best stare to show Emma she was serious. Emma stopped her laughter and focused again on her best friend. "Sorry for laughing Manny. I was just kind of surprised that you two hooked up."

"Why would that surprise you?" Manny asked.

"Maybe because you're famous now. I mean, you have Justin Timberlake and John Mayer on speed dial. If you wanted a booty call I didn't figure Spinner would be your first choice." Emma admitted.

Manny nodded. "Life is great in L.A." Manny started. "And you're right, I can pretty much choose from any single famous guy. But being back in Toronto is great too. I had forgotten what it had felt like to be around people who like me for me and not because of what movie I've been in or what magazine cover I've been on."

Manny readjusted herself and sat up further in bed. Her headache had started to clear. "Anyways, enough about me. The question is who did the bride-to-be go home with last night? Was it the fiancée or the baby daddy?"

Emma gave Manny a confused look. "That is so not fair. Of course I went home with Jay."

"Forgive me for asking but I had to. You and Sean were pretty close last night on the dance floor. So you're saying nothing happened?" Manny asked suspiciously.

"For the gazillionth time, yes….I mean…no. I'm with Jay. Sean it totally not even anything. We're just friends now." Emma said confidently. She figured if she said it confidently enough that maybe she would start believe it herself.

"The time." Emma said as she looked at her watch trying to avoid the subject. "I have to go meet Sean now. I'll meet up with you later?"

"Sure Em." Manny said. Manny slid back down in bed and closed her eyes deciding she needed a bit more sleep before she'd be fully recovered. Emma got off the bed and exited the hotel room and went to the lobby to meet Sean.

**Authors notes: Did you like it? This was a fun chapter to write. I always like the writing Manny/Emma scenes. There is always a bit of humor and they have no qualms about asking straight forward questions to each other. Stay tuned for the next chapter. :)**


	20. Chapter 20

Sean looked down at his watch nervously. He was sitting in the hotel lobby and it was 10 minutes before Emma was to meet him. He was nervous because it was their first official family outing.

His attraction for Emma had resurfaced the second he had laid eyes on her the day before. He hadn't been very good at hiding it. He cursed himself out for asking her to come back to the hotel room with him. Of course he wanted her there. He should've known she would turn him down though. Emma wasn't that kind of girl.

Sean shook his head trying to stop thinking about her. Emma also wasn't the kind of girl who abandoned her daughter so maybe he didn't know her as well as he once thought he had. Maybe this meant that he still had a chance.

"Hi Sean." Emma said as she approached Sean who looked deep in thought.

"Oh hey Emma." Sean said getting up out of the chair to greet her. Sean serious face turned to a smile as he saw her dressed in a cute summer sundress. Seeing her dressed like that made him weak in the knees.

"What?" Emma asked as she noticed Sean's goofy grin on his face. She saw him looking more at her body then at her.

"Nothing." Sean said regaining his composure. "Ready to go pick up our daughter?" he asked extending his arm so she could link hers through it.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Emma answered linking her arm with Sean's. They walked out of the hotel and headed to Sean's car.

About an hour later the small family was sprawled out on a blanket in the park eating away. They had stopped and gotten some take out from the Dot and sat outside enjoying the beautiful sunny afternoon.

"So Chrissy, how was your night at Spike & Snake's house?" Sean asked as he poured his daughter a drink. He handed it to her and watched as she carefully took it from him with two hands.

"It was fun daddy. We played lots of games. I even got to see some pictures of you when you were a boy. Daddy, I thought only girls were allowed to wear earrings?" Christine asked innocently.

Emma and Sean both chuckled remembering his infamous studded earrings and jean jacket he used to wear in Grade 7. "Let's just say I was going through a phase when I used to wear earrings." Sean answered.

"What's a phase?" Christine asked.

"That's a question we'll answer another day, sweetie. If you're finished eating you can go play on the slide. Emma and I will clean up and then come over to play with you in a few minutes." Sean replied.

Christine downed the rest of her water before handing the empty paper glass back to Sean. "Remember the cup doesn't go in the garbage daddy. It's paper so we have to recycle it."

Christine got up and grabbed her stuffed whale. She took it everywhere she went. She walked over to Emma before heading to the slide. "Will you push me on the swing mommy?" Christine asked batting her eyes at her mother.

Emma's heart was warm. She was thankful that Christine was such a loving child and so willing to accept her. "I'd love to hunny. Sean and I….I mean your daddy and I will be over in a minute." Emma said with a smile.

Christine seemed satisfied with the answer and headed over to the small playground. Emma began picking up the food and organizing the garbage in it's appropriate categories. "I just wanted to say thank you Sean."

"For what?" Sean asked slightly confused.

"For letting me be here today. For letting me spend time with you and our daughter. It really means a lot to me." Emma connected eyes with Sean and the feeling that she had felt dancing with him the night before returned. She turned her head hoping he hadn't noticed.

Sean helped Emma fold the blanket and he headed to the car to put some stuff back while Emma headed over to the playground to play with Christine. After an hour of solid playing on the playground both parents were out of breath. Christine had her turn at swinging and playing on the slide. They had also had a family game of tag and Simon Says.

"Alright Chrissy. It's time to get going." Sean said leaning against the metal side bar of the jungle gym.

"Can I stay just a while longer? Please daddy? I want to play with Justin a little while longer." Christine whined. Justin was a little boy about the same age as Christine that she had met on the playground that afternoon.

"I don't know. It's starting to get late and I'm sure Emma has some other things she needs to do today." Sean argued.

"Come on Sean. Let her play for a while. I don't have anywhere to be." Emma interjected.

"Who am I to disagree with both my favourite girls." Sean said. "Chrissy your mother and I will be watching from that bench over there. You've got 15 more minutes and then we really have to go."

"Ok daddy." Christine turned and began playing with Justin again.

Emma and Sean walked away from the playground heading towards the bench not to far away. Sean's hand accidentally brushed up against Emma's. Emma immediately felt a shock of electricity flow through her body. Sean felt the same but both once again tried to ignore it.

"Did you have a good time today?" Sean asked as they continued to walk.

"I had an amazing time. I can't believe I missed out on so much." Emma admitted.

"At least you're here now. You don't have to miss out on anything else." Sean said.

Emma looked over at Sean and smiled. He grabbed her hand and gave it a small squeeze reassuring her again that everything was going to be okay. Feeling Sean's hand on hers made the sparks return and with Emma's mind being somewhere else she didn't even notice the huge branch on the ground in front of her.

Emma started to stumble and grabbed at whatever she could on her way down to try to stop herself. But it was too late. She had already past the point of saving herself from falling. Sean, who had been holding her hand, tried to grab her arm but ended up getting pulled down along with her.

Emma landed on her back and Sean almost landed on top of her. In the last second he had let go of her arm and was able to stop himself from crushing her. Now overtop of her it seemed as if time had stopped.

"I like the view better from down here." Emma joked trying to laugh off her clumsiness.

"The view from here is definitely amazing." Sean whispered locking eyes with her. The heat radiated off both of their bodies and Sean could feel his heart beating so hard he thought it was going to beat right out of his chest. Without any logical thought, he decided to make his move.

Emma saw Sean purse his lips together. She knew what was coming. All she had to do was move her head or say something to stop him. But she didn't. She should have but she didn't. She closed her eyes to prepare herself for the incoming kiss.

Sean slowly lowered his lips to touch Emma's. It was when they were a millimetre apart that he heard it. A familiar cry in the distance snapped him out of his trance and plunked him back into reality.

"What was that?" Emma questioned also hearing the cry.

"It was Christine." Sean said jumping up off the ground and pulling Emma up with him. Sean and Emma both ran over to the playground to see what had happened.

**Authors notes: Love me or hate me? Almost an amazing Semma kiss but what would a fanfiction be without an interruption? What happened to Christine? Will Sean and Emma talk about the almost kiss? Jay's being good natured about the whole situation. Is he being sincere or is it all an act for Emma? Read more when I post it to find out. Love you guys! :)**


	21. Chapter 21

**Authors notes: 20 chapters and 99 reviews later...I'm still here! :) It's really all because of you guys. Thanks for reading and being interested in what you read. My husband will be leaving soon for his training and then for his tour overseas so look forward to lots of updating at that time.**

Sean slowly lowered his lips to touch Emma's. It was when they were a millimetre apart that he heard it. A familiar cry in the distance snapped him out of his trance and plunked him back into reality.

"What was that?" Emma questioned also hearing the cry.

"It was Christine." Sean said jumping up off the ground and pulling Emma up with him. Sean and Emma both ran over to the playground to see what had happened.

Seconds later Sean and Emma arrived by the slide to find their daughter sitting on the ground crying. "What's wrong sweetie?" Sean asked picking up his daughter off the ground and holding her in his strong arms.

"I fell…and…hurt my knee." Christine said in between sobs.

Sean sat her back on to the ground to examine her knee. He saw a small amount of blood trickle out from where she had scraped it. "It's going to be alright. We'll go back to the car and put a band-aid on it and you'll be as good as new in no time."

Christine brushed the tears away from her eyes and tried to stop crying. She saw both of her parents looking at her with concern.

"Let's go Chrissy." Sean said putting out his arms. "I'll carry you to the car."

Christine shook her head. "No daddy. I want mommy to carry me."

Emma smiled at her daughter. It felt good to be needed. She reached down and picked her up settling her on her hip. Emma held her tightly as Christine rested her head on her mother's shoulder. Sean put his arm around Emma's back and led them to the car.

After fixing Christine up the three headed back to the hotel. As Manny's hotel room was on a different floor they said goodbye in the elevator agreeing to call the next day to make plans to hang out again. Christine waved by to her mother as the elevator door shut.

When Sean arrived back to his hotel room he found a message waiting on the phone. It was from Spike and Snake. They were going to the movies with Jack and wanted to know if Christine wanted to come with them. Though Sean didn't feel like spending the evening alone he figured it would be a good opportunity for Christine to spend more time with her grandparents. He also thought it would be a good opportunity to stop by and visit his so-called best friend Jay at the shop. Emma had mentioned that afternoon that Jay had wanted to see him.

A half hour later Sean arrived at Tony's Auto Shop. The parking lot was empty except for Jay's civic. It was a newer model then he had in high school but was still painted the same bright orange.

Sean entered the shop from the side door and saw Jay working underneath a car that was up on the hoist as the music blared from a nearby radio. Jay seemed concentrated on his work and hadn't even heard him come in.

"Hey man." Sean said as he turned down the radio.

"Hey Sean." Jay said as he continued to tighten the bolt on the piece he was working on. "Could you pass me that ratchet over there?"

Sean did as Jay requested and picked up the ratchet that was on top of the tool box a few feet away. He handed it to Jay expecting a thank you but Jay didn't give him one.

"So how was the outing this afternoon?" Jay asked now using the ratchet.

"It was good." Sean replied. "Christine seemed to have a lot of fun. We went to the park and had something to eat."

"And when are you guys getting together again?" Jay asked still being non-chalent.

"Tomorrow I think." Sean answered. He was curious as to why Jay had asked him to the shop. If he was going to ask him these simple questions he could have done it over the phone.

"So you're going to have another innocent family outing. No monkey business, right?" Jay asked his tone a bit more gruff than his two previous questions.

"What are you talking about Jay? Monkey business?" Sean asked playing dumb.

Jay stepped out from underneath the hoist. He wiped the grease off of his hands on to his coveralls. "I saw you touching her while you two danced last night Cameron. I'm going to give you a pass on that because of the kid. But if I find out it happens again…I'll….I'll…"

"You'll what Jay? You'll punch me?" Sean asked feeling the tension in the room begin to build.

"If that's what it takes for you to leave my fiancée alone then I will." Jay replied not letting down his guard.

"That will win you lots of brownie points with Emma. I'm sure she'd love to see you punch out the father of her child." Sean said sarcastically.

Jay understood his point even if he didn't like it. Emma had never been a fan of violence so getting in a fight with Sean would only make matters worse. Jay felt as if plan A hadn't convinced Sean to stay away so he opted for plan B.

"Emma and I love each other Sean. We're getting married on Saturday. Whatever happened between the two of you is in the past. You're my friend so you should understand that." Jay had softened his tone so he no longer sounded mad.

"Friend? You think I'm your friend?" Sean asked in disbelief. "I stopped being your friend the second I found out you were marrying Emma."

"I understand you being upset Sean. But you'd be willing to give up a 13 year old friendship over it?" Jay asked.

"If it wasn't for me, you two wouldn't have even talked in the first place. I can't believe I trusted you. I called and asked you to check up on her and then I show up from Wasaga and you're getting married. Way to screw over your so called-friend." Sean said his voice become more angry by the second.

"Man, you need to let it go." Jay argued. "That was 10 years ago you asked me to check up on her. And I'm sorry about what happened between her and I then. I took care of her in the only way I knew how to then. It was unfortunate that she contracted the STD. I apologized and she forgave me so why can't you?"

"I'm not talking about the phone call 10 years ago Jay!!" Sean yelled. "I'm talking about the message I left on your answering machine FOUR years ago. The one that told you to go find her and see if she was okay. The one that told you to check at the library because she had told me that is where she spent every Friday night during the university school year."

Plan B had officially failed. He had been busted. He had gotten that message from Sean four years earlier. He had decided to look for her as Sean had requested. The invitation to the Dot had merely been a ploy to get more information from her so he could report back to Sean. Sean hadn't mentioned in his telephone message why he had been concerned about her welfare. Jay hadn't planned on feeling anything for Emma. They had been mortal enemies for most of their high school career. He had planned on a bit of conversation over a coffee and then he would go back to his own life. He hadn't expected to fall in love.

"I'm sorry Sean. I didn't plan it. It just kind of happened." Jay admitted now feeling a bit of guilt for not calling his friend back four years earlier. Maybe if Jay had called Sean back then he wouldn't have been so angry with him now. Jay shook his head. He couldn't think like that. He was happy with how everything had turned out.

"You and Emma are over. She loves me now. You need to move on." Jay insisted.

"She chose you because I wasn't around. She was probably lonely after leaving Wasaga. You were familiar." Sean bittered.

"She loves me dude." Jay insisted once again. He wasn't trying to hurt his friend but more or less let him know that that's just how it was.

"We'll see who she loves." Sean threatened. He grunted and left the shop without saying another word slamming the door on the way out.


	22. Chapter 22

**Authors notes The xx's between the paragraphs are to let you know that the scene has changed. The first part of this chapter flips back and forth between Emma and Sean's hotel room.**

Emma stretched out on her hotel room bed flipping through the television channels. It was Sunday night and there was absolutely nothing on TV. Emma had found a note from Manny when she had entered the room. Manny and Spinner had decided to go out for some supper and drinks and the note told Emma not to wait up for her.

_Just Great. Manny's busy with Spinner and Jay is stuck at the garage until who knows when. This week was supposed to be full of plans. I wasn't supposed to end up alone in a hotel room on a Sunday night. _Emma sighed and shut off the TV. She got up and rifled through some of the wedding plans she had brought with her and took them to the desk. There was no sense of moping about being alone if there was work to be done.

XX

Sean slammed his keys down onto the hotel room desk as he entered his room. He was extremely pissed about the conversation he had just had with Jay. How could Jay think they were still friends after what Jay had done to him? Sean knew deep down that Emma still cared for him. She had cared about him for years. She couldn't have completely moved on. Could she?

XX

After a few minutes of looking at the wedding plans Emma grew restless. She just didn't feel like being alone. She tried calling her parents house to see if they were home so she could visit but unfortunately no one picked up. Then an idea popped in to her head. She grabbed her purse and car keys and headed out the door. She needed to stop by her apartment to pick something up before arriving at her final destination.

XX

Sean let the cool water rush over his body. He stood underneath it for what seemed like hours but in reality was only a few minutes. The shower had always been a place where he could think clearly. His anger started to subside and he let out a huge sigh. He really cared about Emma and wanted her all for himself. He remembered the almost kiss from earlier that day. He hadn't planned on it. He had been trying his best to keep his distance when it came to that department. But when they accidentally fell and he was inches from her face he couldn't hold back. And she hadn't tried to stop him. He smiled remembering how she had closed her eyes awaiting his kiss. They had been so close. He knew it was wrong but he prayed that opportunity would come his way again.

XX

Emma stood outside Sean and Christine's hotel room door debating whether or not she should knock. She looked down at her watch. It was 8 o'clock. She knew Sean was probably getting Christine ready for bed. _Come on Emma. You can do this. You have every right to be here. Christine is your daughter and you have every right to see her. _Emma tried to give herself a pep talk to convince herself that she was only there to see Christine. But thinking about Sean made her all goosebumpy. She took a deep breath trying to calm herself and knocked firmly on the Sean's hotel room door.

XX

Sean was still daydreaming about Emma when he heard the knock on the hotel room door. He hadn't been expecting any visitors. He quickly shut off the water and jumped out of the shower. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist.

He peeked through the peep hole in the door and smiled realizing that his prayers had just been answered. Sean quickly opened the door allowing Emma entrance to the room.

"Hey Em. Come on in." Sean said ushering her inside and closing the door behind them. "I didn't expect to see you tonight."

Emma looked at Sean who was clad in only a towel. For a moment she forgot the real reason she had shown up as she took in the sight of his bare chest. She noticed that he was still as in shape as he had been four years earlier. "I uhh….I uhh…came to…uhh.." Emma stammered.

"You came to what?" Sean asked trying to figure out what Emma was trying to say.

Emma took her eyes off Sean and moved them to the floor so she wouldn't be distracted by his muscular body. "I came to read Christine a story before bed." she explained as she handed him a Dr. Seuss book.

Sean smirked as he read the title of the book. "Green Eggs and Ham, Em? If you're trying to start the vegetarian thing with Christine then you're a little too late. She already loves meat just like her dad." Sean joked.

Emma looked up at him and met his eyes. She smiled along with him understanding his joke.

"I'll be right back Em." Sean grabbed a pair of shorts and a shirt and headed back to the bathroom to finish drying off and get dressed.

Emma looked around the room for a moment before sitting down on the bed. "Where is our daughter Sean?" Emma said to Sean who was still in the bathroom.

"Your parents took her to the movies. She won't be back for another couple of hours."

"Oh." Emma said sounding a bit disappointed. She did want to have the chance to read to Christine. She would now have to wait until another night.

"What happened to Manny? I thought you two were supposed to hang out tonight." Sean asked as he returned from the bathroom. He was now dressed in a wife-beater and shorts and had combed his hair after towel drying it.

"She went on a date with Spinner." Emma commented.

"With Spinner? Really?" Sean asked sceptically.

"Yup." Emma said nodding her head to acknowledge that what she had said previously was true. "Well I guess I should be going then if Christine's not here." Emma started to get up off the bed.

"Stay." Sean commanded. The word slipped out of his mouth before he had a chance to word it as an invitation rather than a demand. "I mean, stay if you'd like. I don't have any plans tonight."

"Alright." Emma agreed.

Sean propped the pillows up on his bed so they could both sit up in bed comfortably. He sat on the bed and motioned for her to sit beside him. Emma went against her better judgement and kicked off her shoes before joining him on the bed.

Sean turned on the TV and flipped through the channels. There really wasn't any interesting programming on. Awkwardness and silence filled the air. It was if the proverbial elephant was in the room. He figured they wouldn't go back to being comfortable with each other until they at least discussed it.

"Em, about earlier today." Sean started. "I just wanted to let you know that I didn't plan for what almost happened to happen. It's just that when I'm around you I have a hard time not wanting to kiss you."

Emma looked up at Sean and stared into his baby blue eyes. "It's hard for me too." Emma whispered.

Sean moved a loose strand of hair out of Emma's face and ran his fingers through her hair resting his hand on the back of her neck. "I know your with Jay now but I still want you Emma." Sean admitted.

Emma didn't need to hear anymore. She closed the gap between their lips. Their lips fused together. At first the kisses were slow and sweet but it wasn't long before they became filled with passion and a hunger for more. Their hands wildly explored each others bodies as they moved into a more comfortable position on the bed.

Sean rolled himself onto his back from his side and rolled Emma so she was laying on top of him their lips never coming unattached. Sean moved his hands up the back of her legs pulling her sundress up with them. He rested his hands on her hips. Her panties were now exposed as her sundress was up above her waist.

Emma was still lost in the moment. She loved the way Sean was making her feel. His kisses and his touch took her to a place where all she could do was think only about him. She felt Sean harden against her. She tightened her grip on him and kissed him harder. She moved her lips from his mouth and trailed kisses up his neck and behind his ear.

Sean closed his eyes feeling pure ecstasy. He knew it wasn't long before he'd fully become undone. He slowly started to remove Emma's panties. Once again she didn't stop him.

His conscience got the better of him. He stopped his hands and whispered in her ear. "Are you sure about this Em?" he asked huskily.

**Authors notes: What will Emma do? Will her and Sean go all the way or will she stop it from going any further. Emma's already crossed the line but how far will she go? How will she deal with her infidelity? You'll need to read more when I post it to find out the answers to these questions. I hoped you enjoyed. **


	23. Chapter 23

**Authors notes: I'm back!! Finally after a week without the computer (mine was getting fixed), I'm back. It's still not fixed 100 so I need to take it back in. I wanted to get at least one chapter out though first. Oh, and thanks for all the amazing reviews on the last chapter!! :)  
**

**Warning: This chapter is most likely rated M. So therefor if you don't read stories with that reading then you should skip the first half of this chapter.**

Emma was still lost in the moment. She loved the way Sean was making her feel. His kisses and his touch took her to a place where all she could do was think only about him. She felt Sean harden against her. She tightened her grip on him and kissed him harder. She moved her lips from his mouth and trailed kisses up his neck and behind his ear.

Sean closed his eyes feeling pure ecstasy. He knew it wasn't long before he'd fully become undone. He slowly started to remove Emma's panties.

His conscience got the better of him. He stopped his hands and whispered in her ear. "Are you sure about this Em?" he asked huskily.

Emma did not hesitate to answer him. "I'm sure." she whispered in his ear. Sean finished removing her panties and gently tossed them to the floor.

Emma sat up straddling Sean. She reached down and slowly removed his shorts. Sean reached over and opened the drawer in the night stand. He pulled out a strip of condoms, ripped one off and passed it to Emma.

Emma opened the package with her teeth still lost in the moment. As she rolled the condom on Sean's hard member Jay flashed in to her mind. She tried to push him out of her thoughts but he was stuck there.

Sean, unaware of the thoughts running through Emma's mind, rolled them over. He was now on top of her using his arms to support himself as not to crush her. He looked down at her. He had waited for this moment for a very long time. Sean wanted his first time with Emma to be special. This wasn't Sean's first experience with sex. Sean had dated a couple of girls since high school that he had been intimate with. Each time he had made love he always couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to make love to Emma. He was now finally going to get the chance.

Sean removed his wife beater and helped Emma pull her sundress off over her head. The sight of her naked body sent shivers up his spine. He pressed himself closer to her so that their chests were touching. He placed one more passionate kiss on her lips before making his final move.

As Sean pulled away from the heated kiss, Emma finally spoke up. "No one has to know, right?" Emma asked confirming the statement that Sean had said to her only 24 hours earlier.

Sean sighed aloud when he heard the question. His conscience, once again, got the better of him. He rolled off of her and laid beside her on the bed. "You would know, Em. This isn't right."

Emma was a bit confused and a bit taken back that Sean had stopped their intimate interaction. "But…But…I thought you wanted this." Emma asked.

"I've been waiting a long time for this. But I didn't think when it finally might have happened that we'd have to keep it a secret." Sean admitted. He got up off the bed and took off the condom discarding it in the garbage. He pulled on his shorts and picked up Emma's discarded sundress off the floor and handed it to her.

A tear rolled down Emma's cheek as she realized just how far they had gone and how close they were to crossing a line they wouldn't be able to return from. Emma got up off the bed and turned her back to Sean still slightly embarrassed. She slipped the sundress over her head and wiped away the tears from her eyes.

"Maybe you're right. Maybe this was a mistake." Emma confessed turning around to face Sean once again.

"I didn't say what happened was a mistake. I just said it wasn't right." Sean said with a frustrated tone in his voice. "Do you even love Jay?"

"Of course I do. We're getting married, aren't we? How could you even ask me that?" Emma yelled.

"I think you're just using him because you were lonely. You felt guilty after leaving Christine and I behind and he was the first person to show you some interest therefore you decided to latch on to him. You don't really love him." Sean admitted also raising his voice to her.

Emma couldn't believe the mean words that were coming out of Sean's mouth. Her anger rose and she could no longer control it. Before she knew what she was doing she lifted her hand and slapped Sean across the face.

Sean felt the sting of Emma's hand on his bare flesh and took a step backwards in shock. His eyes met hers and he could tell that she was very angry with him. He hadn't meant the things he said to hurt her. He just couldn't stand to see her marry someone else. He was still angry with the whole situation.

Emma grabbed the book she had planned on reading Christine along with the rest of her things and headed towards the door with the tears still flowing. "So when the going gets tough, you're just going to walk away….again?" Sean asked.

Emma turned around still upset with what he had just said to her moments earlier. "I learned from the best. Don't forget you were the one who taught me how to walk away." Emma snarled referring to Sean's actions after the shooting incident at Degrassi.

Emma opened the door and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Christine and her parents on the other side of it.

"Mommy!!" Christine shrieked as she saw Emma standing in front of her. She latched herself on to Emma's leg not wanting to let go.

"Hey sweetie." Emma said her voice softening. "Hi mom. Hi dad." She said looking up acknowledging her parents. Sean walked over and stood behind Emma. The four adults made small talk and after a couple of minutes Spike and Snake left to go home.

Emma stepped back in to the room and closed the door behind them. The three were alone. There was an awkward silence that filled the air. Christine spotted the book in Emma's hand and commented on it. "What is that book mommy? Will you read it to me?"

"I'd love to stay and read it to you Chrissy." Emma started and then looked up at Sean. He still seemed a bit upset as was Emma. "That is if it's alright with your dad."

"Please daddy!! Please daddy!! Can mommy stay?" Christine whined.

"Of course she can." Sean stated. "She's always welcome here. But first you need to change in to your pyjamas little girl."

Sean helped Christine change in to her pyjamas. Afterwards the two girls cuddled up on the bed and Emma began reading "Green Eggs and Ham" to her daughter.

Sean left the two girls alone and went out on to the hotel room balcony. He stared into the darkness reflecting on the evenings events. He hadn't planned on them ending their evening with a fight. His heart hurt knowing that he had hurt her by his words. He leaned on the railing and rested his head in his hands wishing he could go back to the start of the evening and do it all over again. He might not have had the opportunity to kiss her but at least he could've of prevented the fight they had had.

"She's asleep." Emma said as she joined him on the balcony.

Sean lifted his head from his hands and looked over to her. "Listen Em, about earlier. I'm sorry about the things I said. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I know." Emma said her voice cracking a bit. "I'm sorry too."

Sean closed the gap between the two and gave Emma a hug. He felt her tense up at first but after a couple of seconds she relented and hugged him back. They stayed that way for a couple of minutes just letting each other feel comfort in each others arms.

Emma finally pulled away. Sean could have stayed that way forever. "I'd like to take Christine out tomorrow. Manny and I have some wedding stuff to do and I thought the three of us could make it a girls day. Is that okay with you?"

Sean had been hoping that him and Emma would spend some more time together as a family but understood that she wanted to spend some time alone with her daughter. "That's fine." he said. They said their goodnights and Emma headed out of the room and back to her own hotel room for the night.

**Authors notes: Intense or what?? Emma and Sean's relationship had definitely changed a bit. How is Emma feeling about Sean now? Will there relationship be strained because of the fight? You'll have to read more when I post it to find out. :)**


	24. Chapter 24

**Authors notes: To answer the review from "hartyvampire", yes, reviewing does make me update quicker! I was going to go to bed and not finish the chapter until tomorrow but I decided to stay up and finish it and post it tonight. Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. This one is a little lighter on the drama then the last one but I needed to write it to lead up to some potential drama in the next chapter. Hope you enjoy.**

"What's taking you so long?" Manny yelled from the hotel bedroom into the bathroom. Emma had been in there for almost an hour. It was already fifteen minutes past when Emma and Manny were to pick up Christine.

"I'm almost ready." Emma said departing from the bathroom. She had finished putting on her make up but her hair was still wet and in a towel up on her head.

"You are not almost ready! What's up with you? You're always on time." Manny exclaimed. She looked at her best friend who seemed to be acting weird since she had gotten out of bed.

Emma sat down on the bed and sighed. "I'm just tired this morning. I didn't sleep well last night. Would you mind going to Sean's room and getting Christine for me?"

Manny looked at her friend suspiciously. She knew there was more to the story than her friend was letting on. "Ok, Em. Spill. Did something happen last night?" Manny asked sitting down beside Emma on the bed.

"Why would you ask that?" Emma asked nervously.

"Because you're acting all cookoo bananas on me." Manny explained.

"Sean and I kind of had a fight last night." Emma finally admitted. She was unsure whether or not she wanted to go into details.

"Really Em? Are you okay?" Manny asked with concern in her voice. Manny knew better than to push Emma for details. She knew her friend would talk about it when she was ready to.

"Is anyone really ever okay?" Emma asked. "I'd feel a little bit better if you went to go get Christine this morning. I don't think I'm up to facing him."

"I don't mind." Manny stated. "You do realize you can't avoid him forever though right?"

Emma nodded. _Maybe I can at least avoid him for today._

XX

Sean looked at his watch again. Emma was already 20 minutes late picking up Christine. He knew she was always very punctual and had half a mind to go down to her room himself to make sure she was alright.

"Daddy, don't I look pretty?" Christine asked distracting Sean from his thoughts. He looked at his daughter. He had let her wear her sundress that day and had helped her put pigtails in her hair. He had never imagined that one day he would be picking out dresses and braiding hair but now he couldn't imagine a day going by without doing it. His love for his daughter made his life worth living.

"You always look pretty Chrissy. You're the prettiest girl in all of Toronto." he exclaimed picking up his daughter and giving her a hug.

"Do you think Mommy will like my dress?" Christine asked innocently. Christine was going through a stage where she needed constant approval for everything she did.

"I know she'll love it." Sean insisted. He heard a knock on the door happy that Emma had finally showed up. "Mommy's here." Sean smiled.

The pair walked over to the door and opened it. Sean's smile turned into a look of disappointment when he saw who was on the other side.

"Manny!!" Chrissy shrieked as she let go of her father running into Manny's outstretched arms.

"Hey sweetie. I missed my little princess. Are you ready for a fun girls only day filled with shopping and wedding planning?" Manny asked Christine.

Christine nodded then grabbed her mini purse and latched on to Manny's hand. "Bye daddy!"

"Emma told me to tell you that she'd have Christine back around 6pm if that's okay with you." Manny announced.

"I'll be here." Sean said. Manny and Christine headed down the hall and back to the other hotel room.

Sean closed the door and sprawled out on the bed trying to decide how he would spend the afternoon alone. He hadn't had too many afternoons to himself in the past four years. He was always either working or with Christine. He picked up his cell phone and decided to call Spinner to see if he would meet him at the Dot for lunch.

Xx

After lunch at the Dot with Spinner and a drive around town Sean went back to his hotel room. He started cleaning hoping that Emma would notice the tidy hotel room when she dropped off Christine. He picked up his dirty clothes off of the floor and some of Christine's toys and books.

Sean started to make the bed and that's when he noticed Emma's panties. He sat down on the bed and held them in his hand for a moment. (not in a stalkerish way). He remembered the moment that they shared together in the bed he sat on. He remembered the way he felt when he finally got to feel her lips again. He wanted her so bad. He wanted her to himself though. He didn't want an affair. He wanted a relationship with her. He wanted a family with her. Maybe he still had time to convince her that marrying Jay was a bad idea.

The thoughts motivated him and he got up off the bed quickly. He folded the panties and slid them in the drawer of the nightstand mentally noting to return them to her when Christine wasn't paying attention. He finished cleaning the room and took a shower to get cleaned up. He dressed in a pair of Khaki's and a bright white dress shirt. He combed his hair and even put some gel in it so the curls stayed in one place.

Sean was busy getting ready and didn't even notice the time until he heard a knock on the hotel room door. His heart skipped a beat realizing that Emma had arrived to drop Christine off. He hurried to the door and opened it without looking out the peephole to see who was on the other side.

"There's my two favourite…." Sean started but stopped quickly before he could finish the sentence. In front of him stood his daughter along with Jay who was loaded down with shopping bags.

"Daddy! Mommy bought me lots of pretty dresses." Christine exclaimed pushing past her dad into the hotel room. The two men stood awkwardly beside each other as they focused their attention on the little girl. "I got new shoes and a new jacket. Wait until you see everything daddy. I'm going to look so pretty!!"

"Watch out Sean. Looks like it only took one afternoon with Emma and Manny to get Chrissy hooked on shopping." Jay said trying to break the tension with a bit of humour.

"Yeah. I guess so." Sean replied trying to hide his disappointment that Jay was standing in front of him instead of Emma. "Here, I can take those." Sean said extending his hands to take the bags. Jay gave Sean the bags and Sean put them inside the hotel room door.

"Thanks for dropping Christine off." Sean stated being polite.

"No problem. Emma had to run an errand with her mother so asked me to drop her off. Emma will get a hold of you in the morning to see what time she can pick her up tomorrow. I think the girls have another day of shopping planned or something."

Sean nodded disappointed again to hear that Emma's plans did not involve him. He said goodbye to Jay and went back into the room with his daughter.

"What's wrong daddy? You look sad." Christine concluded by looking at her father's serious face.

"I'm just thinking Chrissy." Sean said hoping that answer would satisfy her. It was obvious to Sean that Emma was resenting what had happened by avoiding him all day. Sean sighed. He needed to start thinking about his future….a future that didn't involve Emma.

**Is Sean really prepared to give up on the idea of having a family with Emma? What is going through Emma's mind right now? And what will be the new drama revealed in the next chapter? It's sure to be a jaw-dropper. **


	25. Chapter 25

**Authors notes: Again, the XX in between lines means a change of scene.**

Emma held her breath as she prepared to knock on Sean and Christine's hotel room door. She had successfully managed to avoid him the day before. She knew though she couldn't avoid him forever and hoped he wasn't too upset about her actions the day before.

Emma knocked and seconds later heard a voice from the other side. "Doors open." Sean hollered through the door.

Emma opened the door and walked in to see Christine on the bed engrossed in the TV and Sean packing up a couple things. "Sean? What's going on? You guys aren't leaving for good are you?" Emma asked concerned as she looked at the surroundings of the room. Everything was neat and tidy and looked as if they were getting ready to leave.

"No. We're not leaving." Sean said turning around to face her. He zipped up the backpack he had been packing for Christine. "I have to head back to Wasaga to pick something up today so I'm going to take Christine with me."

"You don't have to take her with you Sean. I can watch her for the day." Emma offered. She smiled at Sean but he did not return her smile.

"Thanks but no thanks. I have a couple of things to do in Wasaga while we're up there and it could be pretty late before we get back to Toronto." Sean said.

"Really Sean. I don't mind. Manny is going on a date with Spinner tonight and Jay will be working late again at the garage. I really didn't have anything else to do today anyway." Emma insisted.

Sean hesitated before finally answering. "Alright. You can take her for the day."

"You can pick her up at my apartment once you get back in town." Emma said. "We live over on 34 Georgetown Street in apartment 2."

Sean handed Emma the backpack and the two girls headed on their way hand in hand.

XX

"Thanks for the ice cream Mommy. It is so yummy." Christine stated as she licked her chocolate ice cream cone. Emma smiled and took a napkin wiping the excess ice cream off of Christine's face. It was the simple moments that Emma appreciated the most. Eating ice cream on a sunny day in the park with her daughter was priceless.

"What would you like to do next Chrissy?" Emma asked.

"It doesn't matter. As long as I'm with you." Christine said smiling up at Emma. She reached over and put her small arms around her mothers waste. "I love you Mommy."

A tear trickled Emma's cheek as she took in the words her daughter had just said to her. After a moment she was finally able to choke out a reply. "I love you too Christine. Forever and Always."

The two just sat there in silence watching the people walk by in the park. The silence was quickly interrupted by the ringing of Emma's cell phone.

"Hello?" Emma said quickly answering her phone.

"Hi Emma. This is Linda from the office. We're having a bit of an emergency with the Kohler case and we need you to come in immediately."

"But I'm on vacation." Emma argued.

"Mr. Simmons requested you come in personally. You're the expert on this case and we won't be able to resolve this issue without you." Linda commented.

Mr. Simmons was the lead partner of the law firm she worked for. Emma had only met him once or twice and might have spoken a total of 10 words to him since she started working there last year. If he personally requested her she knew she had to go in or her job would be on the line.

"I'll be there within in an hour Linda." Emma said closing her cell phone shut.

"Who was that mommy?" Christine asked.

"Change of plans Chrissy. How do you feel about spending some time with Jay?" Emma asked hoping not to disappoint her daughter.

XX

"Please Jay?" Emma asked giving him the puppy dog eyes. She knew he was unable to resist that look. "I'll come back as soon as I can."

"I'm not sure Em. I'm still kind of busy here. I don't know if Tony will let me leave early." Jay said wiping his grease stained hands on his coveralls. "Why don't you ask your mom or something?"

"Mom and Snake are busy today. Manny's got a date with Spinner so she can't watch Christine. I suppose I could call Sean and ask him to come back early but I'm trying to be a responsible parent. I need to prove to him that I can handle looking after my daughter for one day without calling him for help." Emma explained.

Jay knew this was important to Emma so he wouldn't let her down. "Okay. I'll look after her while you go to work on one condition."

"What's the condition?" Emma asked sceptically.

"You pay me for my services afterwards." Jay said seductively as he tried to bring his fiancee close and wrap his arms around her.

"JAY! You're going to get me dirty. I can't go into work with grease stains all over me." Emma protested.

Jay put his hands up in a surrender position and took a few steps back.

"Thanks Jay. I really appreciate this." Emma said softening and reached up to place a kiss on Jay's cheek. "I'll see you at home in a couple of hours."

XX

"So what kind of food do you eat?" Jay asked as he looked through the cupboards trying to figure out what to feed a four year old for supper. Jay was far from being a gourmet chef. Emma was usually the one who did all of the cooking.

"I like pop and chips and chocolate bars." Christine stated.

"I highly doubt you are allowed to eat those for supper." Jay said pulling out a box of Kraft Dinner out of the cupboard. "How about Jay's famous Mac & Cheese?"

Christine nodded and watched as Jay went to work making supper. Jay and Christine conversed casually. Jay could see a lot of Emma in Christine. He noticed she tilted her head the same way Emma did when she was waiting for a response to a question. The way her whole face lit up when she smiled was also the same.

Jay had never really been around small children before but was enjoying his time with Christine. In a couple of days he would go from Jay the fiancee to Jay the husband and Jay the step-father. Some guys would be scared but Jay wasn't. He was ready to accept any challenge that his new place in life gave him. He truly loved Emma and didn't want to let anything come between them.

Christine and Jay finished their supper and headed to the living room to watch a movie. Jay had picked up a couple at the video store and Christine decided on watching "Finding Nemo" first. Jay popped some popcorn and the pair got comfortable and quickly became engrossed in the movie.

XX

Emma opened the door to her apartment feeling guilty about being longer than she had expected at the office. She had hoped it would only take a few hours but once things finally wrapped up it was already dark outside. She hoped Jay wasn't too upset with her.

She entered the empty kitchen and heard the Television blaring from the living room. She quietly entered the living room and saw Christine and Jay both fast asleep on the couch. Christine's head was in Jay's lap and Jay was holding his head up with his arm which was on the arm rest of the couch. Emma couldn't help but smile at the scene before her. Christine and Jay looked so cute together.

Jay could sense someone else in the room and opened his eyes. "Hey Em." Jay said groggily.

"Sorry I woke you." Emma said sitting down beside him on the couch.

"It's alright. I must've just dozed off a few minutes ago. Christine fell asleep on me so I was kind of stuck here." Jay commented.

"You two looked adorable sleeping on the couch." Emma commented. "Seeing you like that has definitely shattered your bad boy image."

"Don't tell anyone. I have an image to uphold." Jay joked. Jay leaned over and kissed his fiancee passionately on the lips. She pulled away when she felt his tongue start to slip into her mouth.

"Jay!" Emma whispered. "We can't do this right now. Not with Christine right here."

"Alright. We'll save it for later."

As Emma started to get up she heard the buzzer to the apartment go off. "That must be Sean." Emma said aloud. Emma had been so busy that day that she had forgotten about the bad mood Sean seemed to be in earlier.

Jay slowly got up off the couch moving Christine's head from his lap and gently resting her head on a pillow. He headed into the kitchen to stand by Emma as she let Sean into the apartment.

Emma opened the door and there in front of her stood Sean with an unfamiliar brunette who appeared to be in her early twenties.

"Jess, I'd like you to meet Emma and Jay." Sean said being the first to speak. Emma stood there with a confused look on her face. She had never heard Sean speak about a "Jess" before. Who was this girl?

Jay did the polite thing and stuck out his hand to shake the girls. She seemed a tad bit nervous standing in front of the pair.

"Emma and Jay." Sean said. "I'd like you to meet Jess…..my girlfriend."

**So did anyone see that coming? Sean has a girlfriend who he never mentioned to anyone since he arrived in Toronto. How will Emma react? You'll have to wait to find out when I post the next chapter. **


	26. Chapter 26

**Authors notes: I'm on vacation right now but couldn't wait the entire two weeks until I got back home to update so I'm updating now. :) Hope you enjoy.**

Emma opened the door and there in front of her stood Sean with an unfamiliar brunette who appeared to be in her early twenties.

"Jess, I'd like you to meet Emma and Jay." Sean said being the first to speak. Emma stood there with a confused look on her face. She had never heard Sean speak about a "Jess" before. Who was this girl?

Jay did the polite thing and stuck out his hand to shake the girls. She seemed a tad bit nervous standing in front of the pair.

"Emma and Jay." Sean said. "I'd like you to meet Jess…my girlfriend."

_Girlfriend? Since when does Sean have a girlfriend? _A mix of emotions flew through Emma's body. She was sad and angry and jealous and confused all at the same time. There were too many emotions running through her for her to think straight. Luckily Jay didn't seem to notice and continued the conversation.

"So you're down visiting from Wasaga?" Jay asked making conversation with Jess.

"I'm down for the rest of the week. I was so happy when Sean called this morning and asked if I wanted to come stay with him and Christine. I know they've only been gone a couple of days but I've missed them so much." Jess looked over at Sean and gave him a small smile. He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in giving her a quick kiss on the temple acknowledging her previous statement.

"Since you're going to be here for a few days why don't you and Sean come over to Spinner's on Thursday night. We're having a small get together with a few friends for supper and a few drinks." Jay said extending the invitation.

Emma finally snapped out of her daze. There was no way she could handle an evening watching Sean with his girlfriend. She felt an instant hate towards the girl even though she knew nothing about her. "Jay…do you really think it's a good idea to invite someone to a party at someone else's house? That isn't very polite." Emma whined.

"Chill Em. Spinner won't mind. You know his motto….the more the merrier. Plus Sean is one of his oldest friends. He'd be more offended if I didn't invite him." Jay argued.

Sean could see what Emma was trying to do. He wasn't trying to upset her but he knew he had every right to be at that party as much as she did. "We'd love to go then." Sean answered.

"But what about Christine?" Emma asked grasping at straws. "If we're both at the party than who will watch her?"

"I'll have to check first but I'm sure Spike and Snake wouldn't mind keeping her. You know as much as I do that they love any opportunity they get to spend with her." Sean said.

"Alright then." Emma finally said surrendering from her mission. She looked at Sean and tried to connect her eyes with his. Her eyes were filled with hurt and confusion about his dishonesty about having a girlfriend. As soon as his eyes connected with hers she saw his eyes go cold and he turned away fast.

"Well we should get going. Could you get Christine for me please?" Sean asked still refusing to make eye contact with Emma.

"She fell asleep on the couch. Why don't you let her stay here tonight and I can drop her off in the morning." Emma suggested knowing Sean would never go for it.

"That actually sounds good. Jess and I have some catching up to do anyways. A night alone would be a nice treat." Sean commented. He reached over and intertwined his hand with his girlfriends. Jess gave Emma and Jay a polite smile and wave and then the pair turned around and left the apartment.

Emma paced the kitchen trying to get her mind off the situation. She was angry but she couldn't reveal it to much or Jay would know something was up.

She heard Jay go in to the other room so Emma decided to busy herself by drying the dishes. A few moments later she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her and her fiancée nibble on her neck.

"I just moved Chrissy from the couch to the spare room bed and she didn't wake up. I'm ready to continue what we started on the couch." Jay nibbled on her neck some more and moved his arms from her waste and started pulling up her shirt. The cool air in the apartment hit her bare skin.

"I can't Jay." Emma said stopping his hands from going any further.

"But babe….you've been gone all week. I missed you." He whispered trying to seduce her.

"I've missed you too…but…" Emma turned around so she was facing him. She tried to hold in her emotions but she couldn't. The tears that she had been trying to hold back started flowing down her cheeks and she wasn't able to stop them.

"Babe? What's wrong?" Jay asked as he pulled Emma in for a hug to comfort her. He held her tightly in his arms and ran his hand up and down her back to soothe her.

That one question was so broad. Did Jay want to know what was wrong with Emma at that particular moment. Did he really want to know the real answer? Emma felt safe in Jay's arms but realized the truth could ruin everything between them.

Jay pulled back and placed his arms on her shoulders making eye contact with her. "Is this about Jess?" Jay asked.

This was another question Emma was unsure of how to answer. She stayed silent as the tears continued to flow. Finally Jay spoke once again. "Don't worry about Jess, Em. I know it must have been a surprise to find out Sean had a girlfriend but she will never take your place as Christine's mother."

Emma nodded and the tears began to dry up. She allowed Jay to wipe the last few away and hold her in his arms again. What Jay thought was wrong with her hadn't even crossed her mind. She had been too focused on the fact that Sean had a girlfriend that she hadn't even thought of how it would affect the relationship she wanted to have with her daughter. Emma was emotionally exhausted so decided to think about that at some other time.

"You look tired Em. Did you just want to go to sleep?" Jay asked happy that his fiancee had stopped crying. "Everything always seems better in the morning."

Emma nodded again and the pair headed to their bedroom hand in hand.

**How will Emma deal with seeing Jess and Sean at Spinners party? Will she be able to hide her emotions or will Jay finally really figure out what's going on? You'll have to wait until I post the next chapter to find out. Cheers!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Authors notes: I must say it's been waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to long since I updated. I was on vacation but now am back home and back to work and will hopefully have a chance to write some more. This chapter took a while to figure out exactly what I wanted to do with it and accomplish with it. Hope you enjoy and hope it was worth the wait. Cheers!**

"Wow, you look beautiful." Sean exclaimed as he looked over at his girlfriend who was just finishing getting dressed for the dinner party at Spinner's house.

"Could you help me with my necklace?" Jess asked handing Sean the necklace and turning so her back was to him. She lifted up her hair and Sean fumbled with the clasp of the necklace as he put it around her neck. "Are you sure you want to go tonight Sean? We could just stay here if you'd rather." Jess suggested.

"Why wouldn't I want to go?" Sean asked sceptically as he finally latched the necklace together after a few tries. He turned his girlfriend around so she was facing him.

"Maybe because you're ex-girlfriend who happens to be the mother of your child is marrying your best friend from high school. It must be a little hard on you to watch them together." Jess said sincerely.

Sean sighed. He knew Jess wasn't saying what she was saying out of spite or jealousy but rather out of genuine concern for Sean's heart. Jess treated Sean like gold and always thought of his feelings first. He cared about Jess a lot. He even almost loved her. But his heart still burned a candle for Emma. Maybe Emma marrying Jay was finally the closure he needed to get Emma out of his heart for good so he could move on and be 100 percent committed to the relationship with Jess. "Nah….It'll be fine." Sean assured her. "Actually it will be great….because you'll be there with me."

Sean's sweet comment made Jess smile. He brought her close and Jess closed her eyes knowing what was to come. Sean placed a gentle kiss on her lips. Jess moaned slightly. Sean's kiss could melt any girls heart.

After a moment Jess pulled away. "Let's get going Sean. I can't wait to hear what kind of trouble you got into as a teenager." Jess teased.

"Be careful what you wish for." Sean stated hoping that some of the stories from junior high and high school would be left untold.

X X X X X X X

Laughter erupted around the table as Jay finished telling Jess the story about how Sean and him had become friends many years earlier.

"So you're telling me you broke into a vending machine and then paid the witness off with chocolate bars?" Jess asked as she tried to contain her laughter. Sean wasn't one to talk about his past much so she hadn't heard this story before.

"A couple of chocolate bars and a few punches later and voila….Best friends." Jay announced as he glanced over at Sean. Sean appeared to be having a good time as he guzzled back his beer. Jay hoped that Sean would accept his friendliness as an apology for how hard he had come down on him a few nights earlier at Tony's Garage. Jay hadn't realized that Sean had a girlfriend and felt a bit guilty about jumping to conclusions that Sean would be after Emma again. "Sean's a good guy." Jay stated to everyone at the table. "He's not shy about putting me in my place if I need it."

Sean looked at Jay and nodded. "That's what friends are for." Sean said.

Jess's face beamed as she saw the interaction between the two friends. She felt as if by sitting at the dinner party she was getting to see a whole other side of Sean and was happy to finally get to meet some of the people from his past who had helped shape him to become the man he was. She reached under the table and gently squeezed Sean's hand.

Sean gently squeezed his girlfriend's hand back but his mind was distracted. He occasionally stole glances down to the end of the table at Emma. Emma sat quietly not participating much in conversation. She refused to meet Sean's glance.

Spinner placed the food on the table and told everyone to dig in. Casual table chatter began as the group filled their plates with food and then began to eat. Jimmy and Ashley had showed up for the dinner along with Toby. Spinner had invited his sister Kendra who was home visiting their parents for the summer. Toby and Kendra immediately started catching up on each others lives. From an outsiders prospective you could see a possible Degrassi romance reunion between the pair who seemed to be in a world of their own.

After dinner the group headed out to the back yard to sit around the fire. The alcohol flowed as everyone chatted. Ashley had brought her guitar and the group listened as she sang a couple of songs off her upcoming indie album.

As the evening progressed the crowd dwindled. Toby and Kendra decided to go out and catch up some more. Jimmy and Ashley headed home as they both had to work the next morning. Finally all that was left was Spinner, Manny, Sean, Emma and Jay. Jess had went in to the house to use the washroom.

Everyone was feeling pretty good from the alcohol except Emma who hadn't felt like drinking that night. She knew she could control what she said if she was sober but felt she might get herself into some trouble if she was under the influence.

"Remember the time Liberty had a crush on you?" Spinner asked directing his question towards Sean. Sean chuckled remembering Liberty showing up to school in a leather jacket and jean skirt.

"I remember." Sean said. "She thought she was being edgy but I reminded her she was about as edgy as a butter knife." The friends laughed remembering their own awkward pubescent junior high experiences.

"J.T. was the funniest kid in school though." Sean reminisced as he roasted his marshmallow over the fire. "Like the time he pretended to be gay so Liberty would stop crushing on him or the time he got caught impersonating Mrs. Hatzilakos with balloons down his shirt."

Sean looked up expecting to hear more laughing but instead there was silence. He looked over at Jay and Emma. Emma finally met Sean's gaze and gave him an icy look before taking off around to the front of the house. Jay just shook his head at Sean and followed his fiancee trying to catch up with her.

"Way to go Sean." Spinner blurted.

Manny elbowed Spinner for his sudden outburst. "Spin. Be nice. It's not Sean's fault…..he hasn't been around in years. I'm not sure he even knows…." Manny started before getting interrupted by Sean.

"Know what?" Sean asked confused by the situation. "Did I say something wrong? Do you guys not like J.T. anymore or something."

Manny's face saddened as she realized she was going to have to tell Sean the bad news. She moved from her seat beside Spinner and suggested he go in the house and check on Jess while her and Sean talked alone for a minute. Spinner followed her request and headed inside the house.

Manny sat beside Sean trying to decide how was the best way to tell him. She figured it was best to start from the beginning.

"We were in Grade 12 when it happened. Emma's parents went away for the weekend. I had been feeling kind of down because of my recent break up with Craig. She decided to throw me a party hoping to bring me out of my funk. It didn't take long before word got around about the party. The house was packed in no time and it started to become out of control. A fight broke out and a couple of kids from a rival school got thrown out. J.T. was walking to his car to head home for the night. The kids who got kicked out of the party were angry and decided to take it out on the first Degrassi student they found." Manny began to tear up as she started nearing the end of the story. Sean's mouth was open in shock not wanting to hear what came next.

"With his back turned, they stabbed him. Emma was the one to find him that night slumped up against his car. By the time the ambulance got to the house it was too late. J.T. died in her arms." Manny sniffled trying to hold back the tears as she recalled the events of that dreadful night.

"J.T. is dead?" Sean asked in disbelief.

"He is." Manny confirmed. "All the time that Emma spent with you in Wasaga and she never told you about it?"

"She didn't. Not a word." Sean whispered still shocked by the news.

"That kind of makes sense." Manny rationalized. "Emma blamed herself for J.T.'s death. She figured that if she hadn't thrown the party then he would still be alive. She had a hard couple of months afterwards but one day she just seemed to be better. She acted as if it had never happened and she never mentioned J.T.'s name again."

"I've got to go check on her. I need to make sure she's okay." Sean got up from the chair and started to walk away from the fire but Manny stopped him.

"Jay went after her so let him help her through this." Manny demanded.

"I can't. I need to see her." Sean insisted pushing past Manny one final time.

"It's not your job anymore to take care of her." Manny called after him. Sean disappeared around the corner of the house out of Manny's sight. Manny sighed hoping Sean would take her advice.

**Will Sean listen to Manny's advice? Lots of drama in store yet for this story so keep reading as I post new chapters. :) Thanks again for reading my story...I really appreciate it.**


	28. Chapter 28

**Authors notes: Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I really enjoyed reading each and every one of them. Luckily, you guys didn't have to wait as long for this update. I just want you to know that I'd love to update every single day if I could. But between work and wanting to give you guys the best story possible, i'm not always able to update as often as I would like. I appreciate everyone's patience with me. Anyways, new chapter for you to read...hope you all enjoy.**

He had every intention of interrupting Jay and Emma as he rounded the house. Sean's brain was going a million miles a minute questioning why Emma had never told him about J.T. and wondering if she thought he had found out and that he had brought J.T. up on purpose to hurt her.

He had every intention of interrupting Jay and Emma as he rounded the house…..that was until he saw them. He stood at the corner of the house and looked at them as they swung slowly on the front porch swing. Emma was cuddled up in Jay's arms and Jay was slowly stroking her hair occasionally kissing the top of her head. Maybe Manny was right. Maybe it wasn't his job to take care of her anymore. Jay appeared to be doing a good job at it. Sean wasn't ready to go back to the party though yet. He needed to clear his head. He decided to go for a walk. He headed towards the sidewalk hoping to go unnoticed by the pair.

"Are you feeling any better?" Jay whispered into his fiancee's ear.

"A bit." Emma replied still finding comfort in his arms. "I don't know what came over me. I hadn't thought about J.T. in such a long time. Hearing his name kind of freaked me out. That's why I took off."

"It's okay babe. You and J.T. were close. I understand how you feel." Jay pointed out. "I could always deck Sean if that would make you feel better." Jay added trying to make light of this situation and hoping to force a smile out of Emma.

"Thanks for the offer but it wasn't his fault. I never told him about what happened to J.T." Emma admitted. Jay nodded loosening his arms a bit.

Emma turned her head and noticed a figure walking on the sidewalk. She wasn't 100 percent certain but had a good guess that the figure she saw in the dark was Sean. "Maybe we should get back to the party now?" Jay asked interrupting her concentration on the sidewalk.

"Actually I think I'm going to head home. I'm kind of tired." Emma said not really lying but not really telling the complete truth either.

"You want to go home already?" Jay asked. "I promised Spin I'd play a game or two of pool with him to try out his new pool table."

"It's alright." Emma confirmed. "Stay here for a while if you like. I got something I need to do on the way home anyway. I'll see you in a little while." Emma gave Jay a quick peck on the cheek. Jay headed back to the party while Emma headed to the car.

Emma drove a few blocks before she spotted him. He had his hoodie up and walked briskly looking straight ahead. Emma slowed down as she approached him and rolled down her passenger side window.

"Sean?" she asked hoping that the figure wearing the hoodie actually was Sean.

He turned his head and stared at her. He didn't say a word as he was unsure of what to say. After a moment of awkward silence Emma finally spoke again. "Get in." Sean obliged opening the passenger door and getting in to the car.

Emma started driving again. A few minutes later she arrived at her destination. She chose the place that brought them together. It was the place where they had so many good memories together shadowed by many memories they'd both rather forget. Degrassi was a part of their history. It seemed like the appropriate place to have this conversation.

Sean took in the sight of the building before them. It hadn't changed much in the last 10 years. There was a new sign on the front of the building but other than that everything appeared to be the same.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Sean finally asked still looking straight ahead refusing to look over in Emma's direction.

"I was waiting for the right time." Emma admitted quietly slightly embarrassed that she had kept the information from Sean.

"Is there ever a right time to tell someone there friend died?" Sean asked with a bit of frustration in his tone.

"What was I supposed to say Sean?" Emma asked also frustrated. "Remember J.T. He's dead and it was all my fault."

Sean finally turned his head and met Emma's eyes. He truly felt sorry for her for everything she'd been through so far in life. "I talked to Manny. It wasn't your fault Em. You had no way of predicting that those guys would attack J.T." Sean said softening.

"I'm always making bad choices. Like throwing that party or letting Rick think I liked him. Look at the results. J.T. died and you moved back to Wasaga."

"Choices are a part of life Em. You can't avoid making them. And no, not everything is going to turn out perfectly. You need to focus on the good times and forget the bad times." Sean explained.

"I'm poison. Everyone I get close to gets hurt." Emma whispered as she glared at the floor mat of the car. She didn't cry. She felt like it but there weren't any tears left.

Sean reached over placing his hand on her chin and turned her face until she was looking at him again. "You are not poison Emma. Don't you ever say that again. There are so many lives that are better because you are around."

Emma not only took in Sean's words but felt them deep within her heart. Here was the one person that could hate her the most yet he still had her set up high on a pedestal. Finally she smiled which was her way of saying thank you for the kind words. Sean smiled back.

After a moment, Emma started the car again. She drove back to Spinner's house to drop Sean off. She pulled up on the side of the curb. She was back far enough so you could not see the car from the house. Sean and Emma did have a good view of Spinner's large front window though. They could see the four remaining sitting on the living room couch partaking in casual conversation. They all seemed to be having a good time.

Emma looked over at Sean who was also staring into the living room window. She saw him looking at Jess and his eyes sparkled.

"You love her….don't you." Emma asked knowing that it was really none of her business.

"I think I might." Sean admitted. "She's a great girl and treats me and Christine really well."

Emma sighed. She was happy Sean had been able to move on and find someone he cared about. But yet there was a part of her that was still jealous. Finally she couldn't hold back and had to ask the one question that had been on her mind since the pair had showed up together at Emma and Jay's apartment a few nights earlier. "Why didn't you tell me about her?"

"Would've it have made a difference?" Sean asked.

"Of course it would. If I would've known you had a girlfriend, I would've kept my distance more." Emma replied.

"You were still with Jay, Em. What happened between us was a mistake. We both slipped up."

"Are you going to tell Jess what happened?" Emma asked half curious and half scared at the same time. If Jess found out then it was possible that someone else could find out too.

"I don't think so. There is no reason of ruining two relationships over one momentary lapse of judgement."

Emma felt relieved. She had been feeling guilty. She admired Sean for being so kind to her. "Thank you." she said. "After everything I've put you through you should hate me. Why don't you?"

Sean opened the doors and started to get out the car. At first Emma thought he was just going to leave without answering her question. As he was shutting the door he spoke. "A long time ago there was this troubled boy who met this girl who accepted him for him. She didn't care about the mistakes he had made before he had met her and she overlooked the mistakes he had made while she knew him. Maybe I'm just trying to repay the favour."

Sean shut the car door behind him, crossed the street and went back inside Spinners house.

**So, what'd you think? I just wanted to let you guys know that you haven't heard/seen the last of J.T. yet. He will be "talked" of in the next chapter as well. Stay tuned for some major drama...because of course...what is a Degrassi story without Drama?**


	29. Chapter 29

**Authors notes: So I have good news and bad news. Good news is, I UPDATED. YEAH! Bad news is that J.T. didn't make it into this chapter. I had originally planned on 3 different scenes in this chapter but was having trouble figuring out the 3rd scene about J.T. I figured it was better to update with the first 2 scenes and then figure out the third scene and make it the next chapter instead. Hope you enjoy. **

Emma had almost fallen asleep when she heard the front door of her apartment open and shut loudly. She then heard someone stumbling around the kitchen and a few things fall to the floor. She opened her sleepy eyes and saw that the clock read 2:00am. She figured Jay had finally made it home and was most likely a lot more inebriated then when she had seen him a few hours earlier.

She was much too tired to get out of bed and make sure everything was okay. She closed her eyes for a moment and had almost fallen asleep again when she heard him open their bedroom door. Emma pretended she was asleep. Well it wasn't really pretending. She almost was asleep.

She still had mixed emotions from the events earlier in the night. She couldn't help but wonder why she had a slight bit of jealousy when she saw Sean looking at Jess. Emma had chosen to leave Sean. She had no right to feel jealous that he had moved on. But still the sight of seeing him happy with some other girl tormented her inside.

Jay took off his shirt and pulled off his jeans so he was just in his boxers. He climbed in bed with Emma trying not to wake her. He wouldn't admit it to her but he loved coming to bed after she had already fallen asleep. It gave him a chance to look at her and truly admire her beauty. Sometimes he would stay up for a while thinking how lucky he was to have her.

"I know you're sleeping but I just want you to know that I love you so much Em." Jay whispered aloud slowly rubbing his fingers across her arm. Usually he kept his thoughts unspoken. Maybe it was because he was drinking but tonight he was unable to contain himself. "I don't even know if you realize how much I love you. I would do anything for you. You make me a better person. You give me a purpose. Sometimes I used to wonder why you would you waste your time on a low life like me. I brought so much trouble to your life when we were younger. All I can figure is that you're an angel disguised as a beautiful woman."

Jay placed a small kiss on her forehead feeling better that he had told her what he felt even though he thought she hadn't heard him. He rolled over and within minutes was snoring.

Emma stayed still. She knew Jay loved her. She could feel it. But he rarely told her. She always chalked it up to him being a man and him being unable to express his feelings. To hear those sweet words from him meant the world to her. Momentarily her jealousy of Sean and his girlfriend disappeared as she was reminded how lucky she was to have a guy like Jay in her life. She rolled over and cuddled up with her fiancée also falling fast asleep.

XX

Sean and Jess burst into their hotel bedroom laughing. They really had an enjoyable time at Spinner's party minus the part where Sean had ducked out for a little while. It had been a while since they had had that much fun together.

Jess sprawled out on to the bed and turned on the television as Sean headed to the bathroom to get a drink of water and brush his teeth.

"I can't believe you used to have a pet Ferret." Jess called in after him recalling the story Spinner had told her about. She knew Sean wasn't much of an animal lover unless it came to dogs. Just the thought of him having to look after a small rodent made her laugh.

"I already told you it wasn't my idea." Sean called back to her. "What was I supposed to do? Give him to the SPCA? He was so ugly I don't even think they'd take him." Sean looked at himself in the bathroom mirror as he popped a few Advil hoping to prevent a hangover the next morning.

"I'm getting hungry. I think I want to order a pizza. Do you want some?" Jess called from the bed.

"Sure. The phone book is in the drawer of the nightstand." Sean called back to her.

As soon as the words came out of his mouth he knew he had made a huge mistake. It was too late. There was no time to stop her. He waited for a reaction from her but all he heard was silence.

He slowly emerged back to the main part of the hotel room. In Jess's hands was the box of condoms and Emma's underwear.

He would have done anything to take away the look of disappointment he saw on her face. He hadn't meant to hurt her.

"Listen Jess…I can explain." Sean started.

"Save it Sean." Jess hollered throwing the box of condoms and underwear to the floor. She headed to the corner of the room where she had all of her things and started throwing them into her duffle bag.

"I didn't mean for it to happen." Sean admitted hoping those words would stop her from packing.

"So you accidentally slept with another woman?" Jess retorted turning around to face him.

"We didn't even sleep together. It didn't make it that far. Emma and I were just sitting here talking and it just kind of happened." Sean admitted.

"So the woman you almost accidentally slept with was Emma?" Jess yelled. "The same Emma that left you when your baby was born. The same Emma that never called for four years to check up on her daughter. The same Emma that is marrying your best friend. You're telling me that you almost accidentally slept with her?"

Sean could see Jess was getting very angry. All he could tell her was the truth. There was no point in lying now. "Yes."

"How could you Sean? After everything she's done to you. How could you even let her near you?" Jess asked.

"Emma used to be a big part of my life Jess. You already know that. I wish I could take back what happened. I'm so sorry." Sean said. He walked over to Jess who had tears trickling down her cheeks. He tried to hug her to comfort her but she pushed him away.

"Don't touch me Sean. You and I are done." Jess hollered.

The reality of losing another girl in his life hit Sean hard. "Please Jess. Don't end this. I…I…I love you."

For the first time in their 3 year relationship Jess heard the words she had waited so long to hear. She had dreamed of the day that Sean would finally say those three words. Unfortunately it didn't mean anything to her now. "It's too late Sean. I can't forgive you for this."

Jess finished packing her bag and headed towards the hotel room door. She turned around one last time as Sean spoke. "Isn't there anything I can do to stop you from leaving?" Sean asked in desperation.

"There isn't." Jess said. "If it was some random girl than maybe. But I know part of you still loves her. Don't come running back to me when she hurts you again."

Sean nodded trying to take in what Jess said.

"And Sean?"

"Yes Jess."

"She will hurt you again." And with that Jess opened the hotel room door and left. Sean fell back on to the bed feeling the repercussions of possibly the biggest mistake of his life.

**DRAMA! DRAMA! DRAMA! I love DRAMA! Lol...hope you all enjoyed.**


	30. Chapter 30

**Authors notes: Short chapter but it needed it's own. Sorry it took so long. I'm working on Chapter 31 now and hope to get it up very soon.  
**

Emma rolled over and fell fast asleep. It wasn't long before she awoke in dreamland.

_Where am I? Emma wondered to herself. How did I get here? The last thing she remembered was falling asleep and now she stood in the middle of a dirt road with no one in sight._

"_Hello?" Emma said aloud. There was no one in sight._

"_Hey." she heard from behind her. Startled she turned around. "J.T.?" Emma asked in disbelief._

"_Hey Emma." J.T. said calmly as if it was just a regular day._

"_What….How…" Emma stuttered._

_J.T. smiled. He understood why Emma was confused and quickly resolved the situation. "It's okay Emma. You're dreaming."_

_Emma sighed a sigh of relief. "That makes more sense. I was starting to wonder if I had gone crazy."_

_J.T. started walking forward up the dirt road and Emma followed beside him. "You? Crazy? Never." J.T. assured her._

_They walked for a moment in silence before Emma spoke up. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, but why are you here J.T.? Why are you in my dreams?"_

_J.T. chuckled. "You never could just enjoy the moment could you." he teased. "You always need to know what's going on."_

"_Guess I haven't changed too much since the last time you saw me." Emma replied._

_The pair continued walking the dirt road. "But you have changed Emma. You're a mother now. You're about to get married. You aren't the same girl you were in high school."_

"_Maybe I have changed a little." Emma admitted._

_J.T. stopped walking as they came to a fork in the road. "You need to decide." J.T. informed her._

_"Decide what?" Emma asked though she already knew in her heart what he was talking about._

"_Decide which path your going to take." J.T. said as he pointed to the choice between the two roads ahead. "The road splits here in two. It is impossible to take both paths at the same time. You need to choose."_

_Emma nodded._

_"You need to choose between Sean and Jay." _

"_It's not that easy." Emma said.. "How do I choose between the guy I was in love with once and might still be and the guy I'm in love with now?"_

"_You know if we were in high school right now, I'd tell you to steer clear of Jay and stick with Sean. You and Sean have history. Even though you both may have not always gotten along in the end he would do anything for you. He put himself in front of a loaded gun for you. He even looked after your daughter for four years and respected your request to be left alone."_

_Emma thought over what J.T. was saying and then J.T. spoke again. "But Jay has been good to you too. I've seen how he's treated you in the last four years. He's been there for you when you needed him. And he's loved you no matter what. Even when he found out about Christine, he still loved you just the same."_

"_If you know all these things, then can't you understand how hard this decision is to make?" Emma asked in desperation. Honestly, she knew she loved both Jay and Sean.._

"_It might be hard to decide but you need to make a decision." J.T. said._

"_I don't know if I can."_

"_You need to make one before life forces you to make one." J.T. advised. "I have to go now."_

"_Already? Can't you stay just a while longer." Emma asked. She wasn't ready to let go of J.T. again just yet._

_J.T. walked forward and gave his friend a hug. "You'll be okay Emma. You'll make the right choice." he whispered in her ear and then he disappeared._

_Emma stood alone at the fork in the road still trying to decide which path to take._


	31. Chapter 31

**Authors notes: I'm happy everyone enjoyed the last chapter with JT. As you will read in this chapter, it is set at the rehearsal dinner to the wedding. This story is coming close to the end...but don't worry...it's not the end yet. There is this chapter plus at least 3 more. I wanted to thank everyone for sticking with me throughout this so far and also a special thanks to those who review...i love reading the reviews...they mean alot! It has been fun writing this story. :) Enjoy the chapter and of course, enjoy the DRAMA! **

"Could I get everyone's attention please?" Spinner spoke up over the multiple conversations that filled the room. The Dot was filled with Emma and Jay's family and friends. It was Friday night and the rehearsal dinner was just getting underway.

After a moment everyone stopped their conversations and paid attention to Spinner who was at the front of the main table. Emma sat beside Jay. He had his arm around the back of her chair. Christine was cuddled up in her lap half asleep. Emma grinned, almost truly feeling happy, as she turned her attention towards Spinner.

Sean sat across from the engaged couple. Beside him was an empty chair that had been reserved for Jess. He looked at it for a moment remembering his recent heartbreak. He then looked over at Jay and Emma. He saw Emma looking happy and he instantly felt jealous of the relationship between her and Jay. Sean was supposed to be the only one that could make her that happy. He had let her out of his life twice before. He wasn't prepared to do that a third time. He downed his glass of whisky and also turned his attention towards Spinner.

"Since I'm the best man, I decided to start the speeches tonight." Spinner started. "We are brought here tonight to celebrate the upcoming marriage of Emma and Jay. Some of you have known Emma and Jay for a few months or a few years or maybe their whole life. I met both Emma and Jay in an awkward point of our lives….Junior High." Everyone laughed as they recalled their own awkwardness of junior high.

"Emma and Jay didn't exactly run in the same circle back then. Emma was into the environment and Jay was into polluting it. Sometimes though it's our differences that bring us together. Jay and Emma I just wanted you to know that I wish you all the happiness in the world as you start the rest of your lives together." Spinner raised his glass for a toast and the guests followed suit.

After Spinner's speech several family members and friends followed with their own. Jay and Emma listened intently as their friends wished them well. An hour after the speeches everyone started leaving. Christine had been asleep in Emma's lap for a while. Spike came over and picked her up so Emma could get up out of her chair.

Jay was in the corner of the room chatting with some of the guys from the garage. Emma stood up and signaled to Jay that she'd be right back. She had been inside the restaurant for a while and just wanted a moment to herself. She noticed the chair Sean had been sitting in had been empty for a while though she hadn't noticed him leave.

Emma went outside into the cool night air. She almost jumped out of her skin as she felt someone touch her arm. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust and recognize the figure leaning up against the building.

"Sean! You scared me." Emma exclaimed relieved that it was him and not some stranger.

"Didn't mean to." Sean said. "Party over?"

"Pretty much. The last few guests are leaving now." Emma replied. "I didn't see Jess tonight. Did she have to go home early or something?"

Sean shifted himself as the question made him a little bit uncomfortable. He had been outside for the last hour planning exactly what he would say to Emma if he had the chance. He had went over it word for word hundreds of times. But now that she was standing there in front of him it wasn't as easy.

"We…uhh…we…broke up." Sean stammered. He shifted his glance from her eyes to his feet.

"What happened?" Emma asked concerned. "I thought you really liked her. And she seemed to really like you."

"She found out about us." Sean stated bluntly.

Emma met his eyes and stared into them remaining completely silent. Her heart began to race. It was as if everything that had happened between them this past week was being brought out into the open. She feared what happened might change things if more people found out and she felt as if she was going to be forced to make a decision.

Sean saw Emma was beginning to panic and he started talking. He needed to tell her what was on his mind before she took off. "Emma." he started softly as he reached out and placed his hands on hers. "I still love you. Come home with me and Christine. Come back to Wasaga with us and we can be a family."

"But…I can't…Jay…" Emma started but was quickly quieted by Sean's lips pressing against hers. Emma should have pulled away. But she couldn't. She deepened the kiss even though in her heart she could feel the betrayal against Jay.

Sean tightened his arms around her and brought her in close turning them around so now that she was leaning up against the building. He moved his hands from her hips and ran one hand from her thigh up the side of her body. They continued their heated make-out session as if the world around them didn't exist.

It didn't take long for reality to set in. They heard the door of the Dot open and by the time they pulled away it was too late. Jay stepped out into the night looking to see where Emma had gone. It only took a second for him to spot her making out with Sean in front of the building.

Adrenaline set in and Jay jumped off the steps instead of walking down them. He rushed over to the couple who had frozen since being caught. "Get off of my girlfriend." Jay yelled at Sean as he pulled Sean away from Emma and landed a punch square in Sean's face.

Sean didn't have time to react to the first punch but backed up and got ready for a second one. If Jay wanted to duel it out for Emma's love then he was willing. Jay advanced again pushing Sean into the wall of the restaurant. Sean stepped forward and kneed Jay in the stomach causing him to stumble backwards and fall onto the ground.

"Jay!! Sean!! Stop it!" Emma whaled at the two as tears streamed down her cheeks. She moved in between the two trying to avoid any more altercations. Once she felt it was safe she walked towards Jay and extended her hand to help him up off the ground.

He reluctantly took it and stood up wiping the dirt off his dress pants. "Jay…I can explain." Emma started.

"Explain?" Jay interrupted. "No need to explain, I saw enough."

"But.." Emma started again.

"Save it Emma. As far as I'm concerned you can both go to HELL!" Jay yelled angrily before taking off into the dark night.

Emma watched as Jay walked off and possibly took her future with her. She made her way to the front steps of the Dot and sat down. "What am I supposed to do now?" Emma asked aloud not really expecting to here an answer.

Sean collected himself and went over to Emma. "Christine and I are leaving to go back to Wasaga tomorrow morning. We're leaving at 10:00am. Meet us in the parking lot of the hotel. You can come with us and we can be the family we were meant to be."

Emma looked at Sean through her tears. He had just given her a choice. A way out. Did she want to go with him? Did she want to try to work things out with Jay? Sean saw the look on confusion on her face and decided to give her the space he knew she needed right now. He gave her a reassuring kiss on the forehead and said goodnight leaving her alone with her thoughts.

**Hmmm...so what's going to happen next? Will Emma finally actually have to make a decision? I know I've been leading you guys on for a while...but in the end...I hope you are all pleased. :) Stay tuned for the next chapter.**


	32. Chapter 32

**Authors Notes: So it's been 23 days since I updated!! I apologize for the length of time it's taken. I've had a pretty busy 23 days...I moved...started a new job...but now am settling and was finally able to update. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Only a couple of weeks until Season 8 starts...I'm very excited!!  
**

Emma listened into the phone as it rang continuously. After a few moments she closed her cell phone shut and felt the arm of her best friend around her shoulder.

"Jay's still not picking up?" Manny asked as she tried to comfort Emma. Manny had found Emma slumped over sitting on the stairs at Dot in a pool of her own tears. It was only after she had gotten her back to their hotel room that Emma, in her own words, replayed the scene from earlier.

"No." Emma whispered her voice sullen. "I've called a million times and he still won't answer."

"You didn't really expect him to, did you?" Manny asked being brutally honest. She was not trying to hurt her friend but rather make sure she understood the severity of the situation.

"Not really." Emma admitted. She stood up from the hotel room bed her and Manny had been sitting on and began to pace the room.

"What am I going to do?" she asked Manny. "The wedding is tomorrow and Jay won't even talk to me."

"What do YOU want to do Emma? Do you want to marry Jay?" Manny asked.

"Of course I do." Emma confirmed. "We've been planning the wedding for almost a year. I love Jay and I planned on spending the rest of my life with him."

"Then what about what happened with Sean? What was that all about?" Manny hoped that talking this out would help Emma come to terms with the situation and make a decision.

"Sean coming back was a surprise." Emma started. "I had buried my feelings for him a long time ago and then when I saw him unexpectedly they all came rushing back. I tried to control myself but I couldn't. And neither could he."

"Did you sleep with him?" Manny asked.

Emma stopped pacing the room and sat on the opposing bed across from Manny. "No." Emma finally answered.

"So you kissed him but you didn't sleep with him. Everyone makes mistakes Em. I'm sure if you explain it to Jay and ask him nicely he'll forgive you…right?"

"It's not that easy Manny. I wanted to sleep with Sean….when I was lost in the moment anyway. It was as if nothing else in the world mattered except us."

"Do you love Sean?" Manny asked.

"I'm not sure." Emma admitted. "How do I choose Manny?"

Manny was usually the one asking for the advice not the one giving it. Though the proverbial tables were turned, Manny gave the best advice she could. "You should feel lucky Em. You have two great guys who love you very much."

"I just want to make the right decision." Emma admitted. Her life had been a roller coast ride and she wanted the ride to end. She wanted to have a somewhat normal life even though she wasn't sure exactly what normal was.

Manny saw her friend's desperation and decided to give her a solution that she hoped would work. "Do what I do when I don't know how to decide."

"And what's that Manny?" Emma asked her interest peaked.

"Pray." Manny said.

"For a miracle?" Emma asked.

"For a sign." Manny answered. And on that note Manny got up and headed to the bathroom. She had to pee since she left the Dot but had thought it was better to wait and take care of her friend first.

Emma sighed as she watched her friend walked away. Maybe she should pray. It couldn't hurt. _Dear God. I know it's been a while. Maybe too long. See it's just that I'm stuck. I've made a lot of bad choices in my life. I just want to get it right from here on out, you know. It'd be greatly appreciated if you could help me out a little bit. Show me a sign or something. _

"Emma?" Manny yelled from the bathroom.

"Yeah." Emma answered back.

"Do you have an extra tampon?" Manny yelled back.

Tampon. She did have one. Emma grabbed her purse and started digging through it looking for one. That is when she realized something that could change her life once again. She dropped her purse on the floor and froze. "Oh my." she finally managed to say.

"What is it?" Manny asked exiting the bathroom. "If you don't have one it's okay."

Emma still looked stunned. She swallowed the lump in her throat and addressed her friend. "Manny, I think I'm late."

"Late? As in LATE??" Manny asked.

Emma nodded. She had prayed for a sign she just hadn't thought God would respond so quickly.


	33. Chapter 33

"Maybe the test is wrong." Emma said as she stared at the little plus sign on the pregnancy test in front of her.

"I don't think so Em." Manny responded. "You took two last night and then this one this morning. You got 3 plus's. You're no-doubt-a-bout it pregnant."

"I just…I just didn't plan it, ya know." Emma admitted. She had the whole night to think about what she was going to do. She had tossed and turned and weighed out the possible consequences of each possible decision she could make. She had finally decided. Her decision was risky and she knew it was inevitable she was going to hurt one of the two men in her life that cared about her. She couldn't live with indecision anymore. She had to stand up and make a choice even if it backfired in her face.

"I know you didn't plan this pregnancy but it's different this time. You're older and you've been through this before. Have you decided what you're going to do about Sean and Jay?" Manny asked.

"I have." Emma said confidentially. She stood from the bed and gathered the rest of the belongings. Emma and Manny had to checkout of the hotel as it was the last night Manny had booked it for. Manny had originally planned on spending Emma's wedding night at her parents place but opted to spend her last night in town at Spinner's. Emma had originally planned on moving her stuff to the honeymoon suite but was now unsure if she'd even be spending the night there.

Emma hugged her friend and thanked her for being there for her during the last week. It was a typical Emma-Manny friendship moment. They looked around the room and appreciated the time they had spent together that past week. Emma looked at her watch and it read 9:55am. Sean had asked her to meet him at 10:00am in the parking lot. She needed to get moving fast if she didn't want to miss him.

X x x x x

Sean looked at his watch nervously. It read 10:05am. It wasn't like Emma to be late. As the seconds passed his heart beat faster. Christine stood beside him unaware of the tension he felt. His heart sank as he finished loading the rest of their bags into the trunk of the car. He had said 10:00am and she hadn't showed. It was final. She had made her decision. She had chosen Jay.

Just as Sean loaded the last bag into the trunk he heard his daughter speak. "Mommy!" she said excitedly.

Sean turned slowly and watched as his daughter ran across the parking lot to meet her mother. His frown quickly turned into a smile as he laid eyes on Emma. She looked as beautiful as ever with her blonde hair glistening in the morning sun. His angel had arrived and she was finally going to come with them.

"Hey Chrissy." Emma greeted as she hugged her daughter.

"Daddy and I are leaving to go back home mommy. Does this mean you're coming with us?" Chrissy asked excitedly.

Emma didn't have the heart to answer the question. She didn't want to hurt her daughter. She just hoped that maybe someday when she was older maybe she would understand the decision she was about to make. "Can I talk to your dad alone for a minute honey? Why don't you go wait in the car."

"Ok. Will you buckle me in?" Chrissy asked.

"Of course." Emma headed to the car and helped Chrissy get into the backseat. She gave her daughter one last kiss on the head and spoke to her again. "I've always loved you Chrissy and I always will. You know that, right?"

"I know mommy. I love you too." Chrissy said smiling.

Emma wiped away the tear that had managed to escape. Goodbye's weren't easy and she didn't expect the one she had for Sean to be any less difficult.

Emma emerged from the car and met Sean who was sitting on the hood. She sat beside him. He looked over at her and just smiled. He was ecstatic. Life had finally turned around for him and he was finally going to have the family he always wanted. He gently placed his hand on top of hers and rubbed his thumb over her hand.

"Is your stuff still upstairs in the hotel room? I can go grab it and then we'll get on the road." Sean said excitedly.

Emma looked up and finally met his gaze. His heart sank again for the second time that day. She didn't have to say anything. He already knew just by one look. "Sean….I'm not….I can't….I'm…"

"You're not coming with us, are you?" Sean finally said finishing her sentence.

Emma shook her head no and looked away as the tears streamed down her face.

Sean wasn't ready to accept the answer so quickly. He turned Emma's face so she was not looking down anymore but instead facing him. "I love you Emma and I know deep down, you love me too. I promise to take care of you and love you forever. The three of us can finally be a family. Don't you want that?"

"Sean…it wasn't an easy decision. I do care about you and part of me always will. I could never repay you for taking care of Christine. I love Jay and I plan on spending the rest of my life with him if he'll have me. Going with you today would just be running away from my problems, and I don't want to make the same mistake twice."

"Mistake? Coming home to Wasaga with us wouldn't be making a mistake…unless…" Sean thought about what she had just said and put two and two together.

"I'm pregnant Sean." Emma said confirming Sean's suspicion.

"How long have you known?" Sean asked with a bit of desperation in his voice. If Emma had known all this time and she had still lead him a long he would surely feel like a fool.

"I just found out last night after I got back from the rehearsal dinner." Emma answered. Sean let out his breath in a sigh of relief.

"It doesn't matter that you're pregnant. We've been through that before. I can still take care of you. We can still be a family." Sean concluded.

"I'm sorry Sean. I can't. I want to be with Jay. I love him and I want to raise our child together." Emma confessed.

Sean could start to feel his blood boil and his temper flare. He didn't deal well with rejection especially when the rejection was from Emma. "So you're just going to forget about us? You're going to throw Christine and I out of your lives so you can make room for your perfect little family?" Sean asked angrily as his voice started to rise.

"Of course not. I still want to be a part of Christine's life. I can come up on weekends or take her for a week at a time. I would never take her away from you Sean but I do want to be in her life." Emma explained.

"Don't you think it's a little too late for that now? You've made your choice. You'd rather be with him than us." Sean hollered.  
"It's not like that Sean. Why can't you just understand?" Emma asked beginning to feel frustrated.

"If it wasn't for me, you two wouldn't even be together." Sean said beginning to reveal some truth to the beginning of Jay and Emma's relationship.

"What are you talking about Sean?" Emma asked confused.

"Do you really think Jay being at the university library four years ago was a coincidence?" Sean pointed out.

"He was studying for his GED." Emma protested.

"Since when does Jay STUDY!?" Sean asked. "I called him four years ago and asked him to check up on you to make sure you were okay. I told him to go to the library that night."

"You're lying. Jay would've said something to me if that was true." Emma argued.

"Maybe you weren't the only one who was keeping secrets." Sean remarked.

He got up off the hood of the car and headed towards the drivers door. Emma followed closely behind him. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know what to do. She couldn't let him leave hating her. She pulled his arm and turned him around. "Sean…I'm sorry." she said as tears continued to flow.

For the first time in a long time she saw a tear escape from Sean's eye. It was then that she truly knew she had hurt him. "It's too late for apologies Emma. Have a nice life." Sean turned around, got in the car and slammed the door.

Emma stepped away from the vehicle as Sean tore out of the parking lot squealing the tires and leaving a trail of smoke behind him.

**Authors notes: So yes Emma is pregnant and no she didn't pick Sean. :( How is Jay going to react when Emma shows up? Will there still be a wedding? Will she get a chance to tell him about the pregnancy? You'll have to read the next chapter when I post to find out. **


	34. Chapter 34

Emma knocked on the door hoping someone would answer. After the third knock, discouraged, she turned around and began walking down the steps.

"Emma?" she heard a male voice say from behind her.

"Spinner!" Emma proclaimed. "I'm looking for Jay."

"I assumed." Spinner said non-chalently.

"Well have you seen him?" Emma asked.

"Not since the party. When I got home last night though I did find a note." Spinner admitted handing Emma the piece of paper he had found the night before on his coffee table.

Emma's hands shook as she opened the piece of paper which she hoped held a clue to where her fiancée may be at the moment. _Spin, I guess karma finally caught up with me. I'm gonna leave for a while and clear my head. I need to go back to the beginning and figure out where this all went wrong. - Jay._

Emma closed the piece of paper and a smile crept across her face. Spinner, noticing the smile, commented. "Do you know where he is?"

"I think I have a pretty good idea. Thanks Spin." Emma turned around again and headed for her car.

X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X

Emma entered the building quietly and headed to the back of the room passed all the rows of books. She headed to the back corner of the library where she had ran into Jay four years earlier.

She spotted him, fast asleep, his head rested on an open car magazine. She stared at him for just a moment taking in the scene before her. She knew once she woke him up things would change. She was hoping things would change for the better.

Emma sat down beside him and gently kissed his neck like she had down so many mornings to wake him up. She heard him grown like he usually did.

It took him a moment to sit up and realize where he was and that the last 24 hours hadn't been a dream. He was a bit surprised to see Emma sitting in front of him. For once, Jay was at a loss of words.

"Jay, listen. I'm sorry about last night." Emma started putting her hand on his arm.

Jay gently pushed her hand off of him and turned away from her. "No need to apologize. What's done is done."

Emma felt a tear come to her eye. She had expected Jay to be upset but it still hurt her to have him push her away.

"I suppose Sean told you that he called me four years ago and asked me to check up on you." Jay said flipping through his car magazine pretending to be interested in it.

"He did." Emma admitted. She kept on looking at Jay hoping that she could tell what he was thinking but his face was expressionless.

"And I suppose you're here to tell me that you've decided to be with him." Jay said.

"What? No….not at all Jay." Emma exclaimed. She turned his face so he was now looking at her. "I said goodbye to Sean this morning. I came here because I want to be with you!" Emma leaned in and placed a kiss on his lips but Jay didn't kiss back.

Jay pushed her away but kept her in arms reach. "I love you Emma….but really….who are we fooling. Sean is Christine's father. He'll always be around. And this issue will keep on coming up."

Emma looked at Jay and realized the only way to make him understand was to tell him the truth. "Everything isn't always as it seems Jay."

"What are you talking about?" Jay asked a bit confused.

"Sean is not Christine's biological father." Emma took the next few minutes to explain her one night stand and how she had fled to Wasaga Beach and how Sean had taken her in and taken care of her.

"Sean did all that?" Jay asked in disbelief. "He's even a better man then I had already pegged him for."

"Sean is a good man Jay but so are you. I will never be able to repay Sean for what he's done for me. I'll also never be able to completely forgive myself for leaving them four years ago. But if I hadn't I wouldn't have fallen in love with you." Emma said being completely honest.

Jay brought Emma in for a hug. It felt good just to hold her for a moment. It was as if that hug was almost able to erase the past. "I love you too Em."

"So what do you say, wanna get married today?" Jay asked Emma.

"I'd love too." Emma said.

They got up from the table and headed out the front door of the library. As they descended the steps hand in hand Emma made one more comment. "It's a good thing we're getting married. I had my first child out of wedlock, I'd hate to have to explain to my parents about a second."

Jay stopped abruptly and turned to her. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Jay asked excitedly. He had been looking forward to the day that him and Emma could finally start a family together but hadn't thought that day would come so soon.

"I'm pregnant Jay. We're having a baby!" Emma exclaimed.

Jay picked Emma up and twirled her around. After putting her down on the ground he flooded her neck and lips with kisses. The chimes on the university church clock interrupted their thoughts.

"Jay, what time is it?" Emma asked in a panic.

"It's 1:00pm." Jay said realizing that their wedding started in half an hour.

"We've got to get out of here or we're going to be late for our own wedding." Emma cried. They grabbed hands and started running towards Emma's car.

**One more chapter left to go and then this story is over. :( The only hint I'll leave you with for the next chapter is that it will be certain Sean will make an appearance. Hope you enjoyed. :)**


	35. Chapter 35

**Authors notes: Here you go guys....last one.**

The guests sat restlessly in the church pews waiting for the ceremony to start. Manny felt panic start to set in as she looked at her watch. It was 1:45pm and still no Emma or Jay. She walked outside and stood on the front step of the church looking up and down the street hoping to see some sign of the couple. She wasn't sure how much longer she could wait before she'd have to go and make an announcement that the wedding had been cancelled.

"Still no bride?" Spinner asked coming up behind Manny putting his arms around her. She turned so she was facing him. The sight of him took a bit of her anxiousness away.

"Not yet. Any luck getting a hold of the groom?" Manny asked.

"Nope. His cell phone goes straight to voice mail." Spinner replied. Manny sighed. Spinner brushed away a hair from Manny's face. He needed to make her smile. He didn't want her to feel stressed about the wedding or what was to come the next day.

"I don't want to leave tomorrow." Manny admitted taking one step closer to Spinner and resting her head on his shoulder.

"But you have to babe. You have that new movie you start shooting on Monday. Plus that magazine cover shoot later in the week. You can't miss all that just to stay here in Toronto." Spinner said trying to sooth his girlfriend.

"None of that means nothing without having someone to share it with." Manny admitted. She wanted to Spinner to come back to California with her. But with the Spinner owning "the Dot" she knew it would never be a possibility.

"That's why I'm coming with you." Spinner announced.

"What?" Manny asked. "But what about the Dot? And your house?"

"My house will be fine. And as for the Dot. I've been thinking of opening up a new one. What better place to start then sunny California?" Spinner asked.

"You're serious? You'd do that….for me?" Manny asked. Spinner didn't reply but rather leaned down and kissed Manny hoping it would be one of the most memorable kisses she had ever experienced. Manny responded and kissed him back equally as enthusiastic. They got lost in the moment together.

Their kiss was interrupted by a familiar voice. "Would you guys get a room or something? Only people getting married are supposed to kiss like that. You're going to steal the show." Jay teased.

Manny quickly pulled away from Spinner and squealed when she saw her best friend and Jay standing in front of them hand in hand dressed in their wedding attire.

"Emma! Jay! You made it!" She said throwing her arms around both of them. Emma and Jay just smiled and Manny eventually let go.

"Let's get the show on the road." Jay announced. "We got to get this wedding thing done so we can do some serious partying after." Jay may have softened in the years but that part about him would never change.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

THREE MONTHS LATER

Emma sat at the kitchen table eating her breakfast and flipping through their wedding photos. She smiled recalling the days events. The wedding ceremony was beautiful. The reception was fun. The pictures the photographer had taken were beautiful. But every time she looked at them she couldn't help but feel as though something was missing. Part of her was missing in those photos.

"Morning babe." Jay said kissing Emma on the top of her head and heading to the counter to pour himself a cup of coffee.

Emma half heartedly smiled at her husband. She pulled a picture out of her wallet from a few months earlier. It was of her and Christine together at the park. "Maybe I should try calling Sean again. Maybe he didn't get my message." Emma said.

"Em. We've went over this." Jay said sitting down at the table across from her. "You've left Sean a lot of messages. He'll get back to you in his own time."

"I miss her." Emma admitted.

Jay hated to see the defeated look on his wife's face. He would've done anything to make it go away. And he had tried. He had went to Wasaga a few weeks earlier to talk to Sean and see about letting Emma get some time with Christine. But when he arrived he couldn't find him. The apartment Sean had been living in was vacant and Sean's parents hadn't seen him since he had left for Toronto three months earlier. Jay wasn't one to usual call on divine intervention, but this situation called for it. He prayed Sean would come to his senses and bring Christine back and allow her to be a part of his and Emma's life.

"Come here." Jay said standing up and pulling Emma up along with him. He pulled her close and held her for a moment stroking the back of her hair. "Everything's going to be okay." he whispered in her ear.

The doorbell startled them and the couple pulled apart. It was only 8:00am on a Saturday morning and they weren't expecting any visitors. Jay headed to the door to see who could possibly be stopping by that early.

He opened the door to the apartment and in front of him stood Sean and Christine. Christine looked at Jay innocently. "Hi Jay! Is my mom here?" Christine asked.

Jay couldn't express how happy he felt to see the little girl standing in front of him. He wanted to grab her and hug her knowing how happy Emma would be in a moment. "She's in the kitchen. Why don't you go in and see her. I know she'd love to see you." Jay said moving out of the way so Christine could get by.

Jay closed the door to the apartment and stood outside with Sean. "I should beat you, you know." Jay snarled. "You kiss my wife at our rehearsal dinner. You leave for 3 months without even a phone call to let us know that Christine is safe. I should beat you."

"What's stopping you?" Sean asked as he backed a couple of feet away from Jay. Sean had not come looking for a fight but he needed to prepare to defend himself if the fight presented itself.

"Sure I might be pissed about what happened between you and Emma that night but I can't hold it against you forever. You took care of Emma when she needed it the most. You took care of Christine all this time letting everyone believe that it was just your responsibility to. That couldn't have been easy. You're a good guy Cameron."

Sean nodded not really saying much. It was a relief to know Jay wasn't mad at him and that Emma had finally told someone else the truth. "Would it be alright if I talked to Emma for a minute? I promise I won't try anything."

"No problem." Jay turned around and went inside to get Emma.

Sean stood nervously as he waited for Emma to arrive outside. He had went over the speech in his head a million times and hoped it wouldn't sound to dumb when he said it to her.

"Hi Sean." Emma greeted solemnly as she exited the apartment and stood in front of him on the front step.

Sean couldn't help but notice Emma's belly. It was the same size as it had been five years earlier when she had shown up in Wasaga. Seeing that almost made him forget about his speech he had planned and try to convince her to come with him instead. He shook his head trying to get the thought out of his mind and went back to his original mission.

"I'm sorry about the way I left before. You didn't deserve that." Sean started.

"I kind of did. It was a long week and we both went through a lot. I'm sorry if I lead you on. It wasn't intentional but a lot of emotions came back that I hadn't planned on." Emma admitted.

"Regardless of what has happened in the past, we all need to move on and move forward from here." Sean started. "I came here today to tell you that I've decided to join the Canadian Armed Forces. I start Basic Training on Monday."

"The Armed forces? What about Christine?" Emma asked as the news hit her.

"I think it's time Christine spent some time living with her mother." Sean stated.

"She needs her father too. You can't just leave and never come back." Emma said hysterically.

"Calm down Em." Sean said. "Basic training is only 13 weeks. Then I have my trade training and then I'll get posted to a base close to Toronto. I'll be back in a year tops."

"A year?" Emma asked. Tears began flowing. She was happy to hear that Christine was going to be staying with her but was scared at the same time. "What if I can't do this? What if I'm not a good mother?"

"You'll do just fine Em. Don't worry." Sean said.

"How can you leave? She's your daughter." Emma asked still a little freaked out.

'I will always love Christine and she will always be my daughter. But she never belonged to me. I was just watching her until her mother was ready to bring her home. You're ready now Em and Christine deserves a life growing up with two loving parents and her future brother or sister." Sean informed her.

"How can I ever repay you for everything you've done?" Emma asked sincerely.

"You just gave me the best four years of my life. I think I'm the one that owes you."

An awkward silence filled the air as the two realized it was time to say goodbye. Emma closed the gap and wrapped her arms around Sean. He did the same and wrapped his arms around her.

After a moment they separated. Neither one could speak. Neither one could say those two words. Saying them would mean that everything they had been through since they had met was finalized. Neither was ready to say it so neither did.

Sean turned and headed for his car not saying another word. Emma wiped her tears and went back into the apartment to join her daughter and her husband.

THE END

Or is it?

**A/N: First off, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to every single person who read and or reviewed this story. Special thanks to MRK848, mmkayerin, Brooks's-baby, myonlyn27, Madshippa, LexxiSparrow, TammyWammy, I-Love-Degrassi-09 and all of you other wonderful people who took time out of your day to take a few moments to review. Also SPECIAL SPECIAL thanks to MRK848 who suggested writing an alternate ending for all of the Semma fans out there. I plan on undertaking that sometime soon and I will just add the additional chapters on to this story.**

**This journey started back in March as an idea that popped into my head one day. Eight months and 35 chapters later, I am happy to have finally completed it. It was a joy to write. **

**  
What can you see from MilitaryWife in the future? I have a possible idea for a sequel. I would also like to go back and finish the story I had started before this "One Day at a Time." I also have some ideas floating in my head for a few one shots. We'll have to see where the inspiration takes me and I'll go from there.**

**Thanks again for everything and I hope everyone will check out my new stories in the future!!!!**

**~MilitaryWife  
**


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